Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
 
Borno State government has begged residents to adhere strictly to all measures and protocol including hand washing and face masks to contain the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state.
 
Deputy governor and Chairman Committee on prevention and control of COVID-19, Mustapha Kadafur said many residents still live in ignorance of the presence of COVID-19 without observing personal hygiene, hand washing, using of face masks and attending burial rites with crowd.
“Many people still believe this  COVID-19 is not real. This is how we started with Boko Haram and it is better for us to understand that this disease is here and it is killing people,” Kadafur said on Saturday during the committee daily media update.
He said the state was now embarking on the expansion of the 100 bed capacity to 200 capacity with the increasing number of positive cases of corona virus in the state. He said government will continue to sensitize the people but appeal to members of the public to observe social distancing to contain the epidemic. He said the attendance of many people at the burial of some deceased persons was dangerous and disheartening.
Commissioner of Health, Dr Dalisu Kwayabura maintained there was no specific drug or scientifically proven drugs to treat COVID-19.
“There is no known cure for COVID-19 for now. We are using several combinations of antibiotics and chloroquine to treat the disease. There is no clearcut scientifically proven drugs to cure the virus,” he said.
He expressed concern that many residents did not take the preventive measure against corona virus serious but “looked at it as if it is nothing.”
He said Corona virus is another Boko Haram and people must understand that social distancing was key to its prevention.
He said Health workers are increasingly being at risk as 16 medical workers were already infected. He said the state is however putting high premium on the health of its medical workers. “We procured about 2,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and gears,” he disclosed.
Borno has recorded 75 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11 death according to an update by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Sunday noon.