Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
At least, eight health workers including five doctors, two drivers and one emergency health worker have tested positive for coronavirus in Benue State.
Chairman, State Action Committee on COVID-19 and Deputy Governor of the state, Engr. Benson Abounu disclosed this to newsmen at the Banquet Hall of Government House on Wednesday.
The chairman who lamented over the rising cases of COVID-19 infection in the state revealed how a man who got infected after traveling to Kano came back with the disease and infected his wife and four children.
He explained that the state which as at Wednesday has 47 cases had recorded one death of a man who was diagnosed with leukemia and very recently underwent a major operation but tested positive for COVID-19 a day after his demise.
“As at today, we now have 47 active cases in Benue. 26 males and 21 females. One appeared not to be our patient because he arrived Benue one the eve of a particular day and the community chief alerted us and we moved the next morning to take his sample but by the time his result came, he had returned back to the state where he came from.
“16 have been treated and discharged and here are currently 30 patients on admission at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) and Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH). The good news is that we have enough materials but in human resource and equipment to take care of them.”
He blamed the increased cases of COVID-19 across the country to the recent easing of lockdown in states regretting that although, interstate travel ban was still in place, many people have been traveling from one state to the other without anyone monitoring them.
“People are now moving freely from one state to another and this has hyped the infection rate. There might be another lockdown and this time, it might be total.
“It is sad that up till now, many people still don’t believe there is anything like COVID-19. Others believe it is the big man’s sickness. There is a need to go back to creating more awareness on this matter,” Abounu said.
He also observed that many people no longer keep to the laid down protocols of social distancing, hand washing and wearing of facemasks.
“If only people keep to the most important preventive measures of wearing a face mask, this infections would have been reduced. So, it is necessary we do something about wearing of a facemask at all times. We will be deliberating on the possibility of enforcing the wearing of a face masks.”