Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Gombe State Epidemiologist Dr. Bile Nuhu on Monday said efforts are on going to bring sample collection close to the residents.
Nuhu disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in the state, adding that health workers across the 114 wards of Primary Health Care Development Agency will be provided adequate consumables and starter packs to enable workers conduct activities without apprehension.
According to him more than 2000 health workers have been trained in collaboration with Primary Health Care Development Agency.
“What the Ministry of Health and Public Health Emergency Operations Centre are trying to achieve is to ensure they have adequate consumables like face masks, for infection prevention and control. That is why the NCDC in conjunction with the state government is going to distribute starter packs to all the Primary Health Workers.
“There is an on going training to decentralize sample collection to make it very close to people, close in the sense people can easily walk into any facility and get tested for covid-19. In Gombe state we have maintained the same tempo in testing, across the state we are looking at 200- 300 samples per day this is because the risk communication has been very effective and the rate of infection is not as it used to be which doesn’t mean people do not get infected.
“By so doing, the aim is to understand the burden of the disease in Gombe communities, to understand the awareness on Covid-19 and for people to know their status, protect themselves and family members.
“As you know it is not only covid-19 that takes people to the hospital most of the cases are actually covid-19 related, reason why health workers should be protected in meeting up all the other needs of the community,” he said.
Nuhu added that that testing of students in exit classes has been an on going exercise noting that teachers and principals have been duly sensitized on observing covid-19 symptoms.
He stated, “Any student having symptoms can be tested while the routine test is on going. For the sake of the JSS 3 coming in to write examination we are working with the state Ministry of Education to ensure the state is on a look out for Covid-19 as well as the guidelines of NCDC on opening of schools which includes prevention and control, safety of the students because we have students coming from different parts of the country.”
