Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State Task Force Committee on COVID 19, has confirmed that the samples taken from the index case in the state have tested negative and the patient would be integrated into the society.
Chairman of the Committee, Jafaar Muhammad, who is also Commissioner for Health, disclosed this yesterday in Birnin Kebbi during the stakeholders meeting with NGOs, CSOs on COVID 19 response.
“There are 24 confirmed cases in the state, three death and two out of the three deaths died before their samples were collected. The good news now is that the second samples taken from the first index case, the result came negative. This means that the patient can be integrated into the society,” he said.
The commissioner, who urged the NGOs and CSOs to penetrate rural communities with advocacies on importance of wearing face masks, personal hygiene, disclosed that about 5,000 face masks were ready to be distributed free of charge to people in the state.
Muhammed, who did not disclose the daily allowances given to health workers in the front lines, said the state government has started giving each health worker working at isolation centre and other sensitive places of COVID 19 their daily allowances.
While cautioning Cancer and diabetes patients to be careful during this pandemic, wife of the Kebbi State Governor, Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu said the categories of such patients were susceptible to COVID 19.