Paul Orude, Bauchi
The Bauchi State Government has disagreed with the claim by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) that two new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) had been recorded in the state.
The NCDC had on Tuesday, April 7th, published an update on new outbreaks in the country disclosing that two new cases were recorded in Bauchi State, bringing the total number of those who tested positive for the disease from six to eight.
But briefing journalists on Thursday at Government House Bauchi, the Deputy Governor, Baba Tella, said the disclosure by NCDC was incorrect as the total number of positive cases for coronavirus in the state remains six.
Tella said what happened was that there was a “mix up of sex and addresses” of samples collected and accused the NCDC of reporting old cases whose samples were taken to Abuja for the second test as new cases.
The Deputy Governor explained: “No new case was recorded in Bauchi. Two tested positive and we had four index cases. Two turned out negative. The NCDC added two to the already two that tested negative.”
Tella explained that the problem started when samples were sent for a retest or reevaluating and “the NCDC didn’t tell us to details of hospital and management saying the centre ended up treating old cases as new ones.
“We implore with the NCDC to sit with our officials because we know that they are overwhelmed. We have written to the NCDC to correct it on their website,” he stated.
“NCDC website reports added two new cases for Bauchi, we are not disputing it, but there is a mix-up. Initial three were on medication. We sent three samples which they returned positive making a total cases for Bauchi State six. They returned the names and there was a mix up of sex and addresses. The two new cases being reflected as new cases is not correct because we discovered there was a mix-up.”