25 corps members including nursing mother tests positive to covid-19
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
No fewer than 25 Prospective Corps Members (PCMs), including a nursing mother have tested positive to coronavirus at the Gombe NYSC camp ground located in Amada, Akko LGA.
Confirming the result on Saturday, in a telephone chat with our correspondent Commissioner for Health Dr. Habu Dahiru, said the 25 PCMs were tested between the last 3 days, adding that they have been moved to the state’s owned isolation centre in Kwadon, otherwise referred to as Idris Mohammed infectious disease centre.
He said, “Out of 1,291 that were tested 25 persons turned positive by Polymerase Chain Reaction, one is a nursing mother. For the sake of coordination the incident management system in Gombe, chaired by myself has conducted a meeting at the Public Halth Emergecy Operation Centre and we have also moved as required by the guideline to Kwadon Isolation centre.
“At the Isolation centre we have made provision for their feeding, medication and their security, we have drafted police to give security to the place. They will be managed at the isolation centre until they are negative and they will be returned to join other corps members.
“We have also provided psychosocial support because some of them may be asymptomatic and may wonder why they are kept there. So we had to educate them that they are at risk to the general public because unconsciously they will be infecting others.
“We have provided psychosocial counselling and we have provided sporting activities; football, volley ball and also activated satellite to keep them busy.”
Dahiru urged members of the public to observe the protocols, adding that the virus is still raging.
“We have to continue testing, so that the more they come and everybody that comes into the camp must be tested. We are only telling the community in Gombe that there’s Covid-19 and they need to observe the non pharmaceutical methods and when vaccines are available they should take theirs.
“No body thought we were going to get 25 people in just 2 days in Gombe. Hitherto we had 1-4 maximum in a day. We are calling on the general public to continue to use face mask, observe distancing, wash hands regularly, use sanitizer and take the vaccine,” he said.
He added, “Now we have got details about their states, local governments, we will call the affected state and ask them to go to their homes for contact tracing. As you know there is already Delta variant in Lagos, FCT, Kaduna and Plateau for us we don’t have one but we have sent it to where genetic sequencing can be done and we will tell you whether it is Delta or the others.”
