The fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Niger State has received a boost with the commissioning of an Emergency Operation and Communication Centre (EOC) as an upgrade the state’s public health centre.
The establishment of the EOC is in partnership with the state government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
The virtual commissioning led by the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, was done by the Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and the USAID representative.
In his address, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello explained that the state government recognises the scale and complexity of COVID –19 pandemic and the need to have state-of-the-art operational facilities aimed at fighting the deadly virus head-on.
The governor said the rising incidences of COVID-19 and the fast-moving and changing situation necessitated the establishment of the centre for the overall benefits of the citizenry.
He maintained that, hitherto, a lot of resources have been mobilised to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state, noting that even though recorded cases are on the rise, the state government will continue to develop new strategies to meet up with the evolving situation.
The governor said that so far the state has recorded 59 cases of COVID-19, with 28 patients fully recovered, discharged and reunited with their families.
While appreciating the USAID for the partnership in upgrading the PHEOC, the governor assured that this will further improve his response to COVID -19 pandemic and mitigate the future outbreak of diseases as well as enhance data collection for informed decision making.
He also pledged to continue to provide an enabling environment for a partnership that will impact meaningfully on the people of the state.