Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Federal Government has expressed satisfaction that the rate of COVID-19 infection among health workers has reduced and more cases are being successfully treated and discharged.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, represented by the Minister of State Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, spoke on the matter on Monday in Abuja at the joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.

He stated that the current active cases of the virus, which stands at 7,416, are receiving treatment either at home or in a care facility.

He assured that the Government will continue to engage with friends and partners using the lessons learnt to improve the responses thus building on the gains that have made in controlling the pandemic.

‘Our response remains to build around our strategy of trace, test, isolate and treat.

‘In this regard, training of health workers is ongoing across the country on infection prevention and control, contact tracing and case management. The result of this is that the rate of infection among health workers has reduced and more cases are being successfully treated and discharged,’ the Minister said.

Related News

He said that in the past 24 hours, Nigeria recorded 163 new COVID-19 cases in 12 states, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 60,266 out of 554,006 persons tested so far. The minister added that 51,735 cases have been discharged and 1,115 deaths recorded in 36 states and the FCT.

‘There are 7,416 active cases most of which are currently receiving treatment either at home in a care facility. We constantly remind ourselves that this is a new virus and there is a lot to be learnt.’

The Minister assured that the Government continues to share its experiences and learn from the experience of other countries, adding that last Friday, the Minister of Health received the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Clara Pulido Escandell, who facilitated a virtual technical meeting between the two countries on COVID-19 response.

‘The meeting provided an opportunity for us to share ideas and learn from the Cuban successes in controlling the pandemic,’ he said.

He pledged that Government will continue to engage with friends and partners using the lessons learnt to improve our response thus building on the gains we have made in controlling the pandemic.

‘Our response remains to build around our strategy of trace, test, isolate and treat. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the value a well-coordinated multi-stakeholder approach can bring to improved health care and underscore the invaluable result of partnership,’ he added.

The Minister additionally expressed delight over the commitment of the traditional ruler to issues concerning the health of the women, children and the vulnerable, as displayed on Monday by the traditional rulers across the country spoke unanimously in support of the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) platform.