Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
The Ekiti State Government has urged individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 to make themselves available for admission and treatment in the State institutions designated centres.
The government advised that being a positive patient is not a death sentence if managed early.
The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, spoke in Ado-Ekiti during a press briefing on the activities of the COVID-19 task force in the State.
Yaya-Kolade, who highlighted the increase in coronavirus cases said the refusal of some individuals who had tested positive to show up for medical care could put their health and that of their families and the community at great risk.
The Commissioner disclosed that Ado-Ekiti local government had the highest distribution with about 57% of the total cases. She added that Oye and Ise-Orun had 2% and 7% respectively of the total cases recorded in the State.
According to her, ‘there has been a little bump in our cases of COVID-19 in Ekiti State compared to what we had in the last four months.
‘Quite a lot of new cases are coming in for admission since the interstate boundaries shutdown was lifted but we are managing them by supporting their immune system so that everybody recovers and testing to making sure everybody is negative before they are discharged.
‘Compared to other States, we are doing well but notwithstanding, we will keep an eye on the numbers through our capacity for admitting patients is still intact.
‘I will encourage our people that test positive to make themselves available to be admitted. It makes no sense to be positive and be running to the bush when you run to the bush you are putting yourself at risk, you are putting your family at risk, you are becoming a public health hazard to yourself and community and you are creating a problem for the State,’ she explained.
‘We have all heard that COVID-19 is not a death sentence, but it can do significant damage which may lead to death if it is not detected early and properly managed. That is why you need medical care if you test positive.’
On the reopening of churches, she explained that religious leaders now understand that the stance of the government on guidelines for the reopening of worship centres was hinged on the safety and goodwill of the people of the State, noting that some churches have started to show compliance to those directives.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Gbenga Agbeyo, vowed that Government would not hesitate to prosecute any establishment that fails to comply with government guidelines as stipulated in the environmental health and sanitation law of the State.
Agbeyo reiterated that the state government was committed to the protection of lives and property of its residents especially on the issue of making the state free of COVID-19 infection.
He said: ‘Government has advised based on guidelines as stipulated in the environmental health and sanitation law of our state and it involves ensuring that the fumigation and the material to be used are handled by registered and licensed environmental health officer of various local government areas. “We want this to form the basis for the issuance of a certificate of fumigation at no cost by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
‘On this note, I want to warn our worship centres and private school owners against violating or deviating from the stipulated guidelines for fumigation as the government would prosecute any erring establishment that goes against the State modalities.’