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… No more patient on the run, says commissioner
BY INUSA NDAHI, MAIDUGURI
Hauwa Mohammed, 42 year-old female, who tested positive to COVID-19 has reported herself to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital following which she received apologies from laboratory officials at the UMTH and Borno’s commissioner of health.
The apology became necessary after Hauwa protested that she did not receive communication from the COVID-19 lab at UMTH or officials of the state response team asking her to come for hospital isolation even though she had been on self isolation since her sample was taken for test due to exposure of a confirmed case days back.
Borno’s commissioner of health and secretary of the state’s high powered response team confirmed on Monday afternoon, that the patient brought herself in a very responsible and medically professional manner which was highly commendable.
Dr. Kwayabura also said even though Hauwa was on self isolation since her sample was taken, a surveillance and investigation team has been deployed to assess risks of infection in line with the protocol of dealing with epidemics and pandemics.
With Hauwa’s return, all COVID-19 patients in Borno state are now fully accounted for.
It would be recalled that at about 2am today, 24-year old male was traced and moved to hospital isolation, hours after he was at large.
A combined team of health surveillance and investigation team, backed by a police escort traced the patient in a critical state at his family house in Gwange II. He was immediately moved on stretcher and is now on ventilator at an isolation centre.
Dr. Kwayabura had said efforts were being made to revive the patient while a contact tracing and surveillance team was deployed to identify persons who may have had direct and indirect contacts with him for risks assessment, isolation advice, and collection of samples for tests.
The commissioner called on members of the public to show empathy and compassion rather than stigmatize anyone who tests positive because no one is beyond infection while stigmatization only keeps patients away from isolation centres thereby increasing possibility of spread.