Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The private-sector led Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) has condemned a viral video which purportedly exposing the Kano State Government for having no functional COVID-19 isolation centres for persons infected with the virus.
A statement signed on Wednesday by Zouera Yousoufou, the Chief Executive Officer of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and Administrator, CACOVID in the state, described the viral video as an act of mischief and a deliberate attempt to scuttle the ongoing fight against the virus in the state.
Nigeria why!!!!! Why trade your citizens; innocent lives just to keep a lie that brings in money? Truly we know there is Covid, but if it isn't ravaging the country, why is NCDC bringing out all those figure every night?#StopCovidLies pic.twitter.com/u9tj8bTh1p
— PSHEGS (@pshegs) May 26, 2020
The Coalition recalled that: ‘Since March 2020, CACOVID had launched its intervention to Kano with the establishment of a two-tents facility as a 500-bed Isolation Centre, situated at Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofar Mata, in the metropolis.
‘CACOVID also provided all the needed equipment, including respirators, lab equipment, oxygen equipment, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other consumables for the facility that are presently warehoused in the Kano State Ministry of Health stores and other locations pending the completion of the construction work.’
It observed however that in line with the Infection Prevention and Control Protocols and the guidance from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Kano State Ministry of Health, the isolation centre had to be redesigned to effectively serve its purpose
‘Hence, the State Government advised that more centres should be set up, using some of the 500 beds initially procured for the Kofar Mata Isolation “center”.
‘Therefore, the following isolation centres were swiftly established: 77-bed Isolation Centre at Imam Abubakar Urology Center, 10-bed at Daula Isolation Centre, 200 beds at Karfi Sports Institute Centre, while 213 beds are currently retained at Sani Abacha stadium for redesign.’
The group further explained that: ‘The ongoing redesign project of the Kofar Mata Isolation Centre has accommodated the DONNING & DOFFING areas at the entrance and exit point of each tent to demarcate red and green zones for staff movements.
‘Also accommodated is a cleanable wall panelling and suspended ceiling to create air-tightness of the wards (red zone) and insulation, ACs and air extractors in the wards to maintain temperature and keep a negative pressure in the wards.’
The new design, it was revealed, contains patient toilets and showers away from staff areas in the red zone and a laboratory and PCR to be able to test on-site all the patients.
Also introduced is a dedicated testing area away from the staff areas (green) and the wards (red), in order to test potential cases, including a laundry to treat all contaminated linens on-site.
The new design, according to the statement, also includes a morgue as well as the renovation and conversion of the stadium’s offices into clinical and non-clinical staff offices, which has since been completed and are under lock and key.
‘The heavy and complex redesign has taken longer than we expected, given the challenges due to the various lockdowns and related slower pace of work,’ the statement explained.
‘This is what the person(s) behind the video used to mislead the public and portray the commitment of the Kano State Government and national efforts towards combatting COVID-19 in a bad light.
‘We hereby call on the general public to disregard the video and continue to support the government, private sector, and local communities in our fight against COVID-19 in the state and the rest of the country.’