Commissioner for Health in Delta state, Dr. Mordi Ononye, and members of Delta state response team addressing a press conference in Asaba, on Friday.
Ovedhe Hezekiah
The Delta state government says it is fully alert to the scare of coronavirus and has accordingly put in place mechanism for any possible outbreak of the Covid-19 virus.
Commissioner for Health in Delta state, Dr. Mordi Ononye, at a press briefing in Asaba, on Friday said the state government has placed all health-related institutions and disease control mechanisms on red alert in readiness for any possible case of the dreaded disease.
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He posited that, the state has switched from watch mode to alert mode since the disease was reported in Lagos, adding that the team that successfully managed Lassa Fever has built enough capacity and shown commitment to address any health challenge.
According to him; “The seaports in Warri, Sapele, Koko and Oghara have been designated as holding centres for any possible outbreak. All hospitals across the state have been mandated to designate an isolated area as a detention centre for any case of Convid 19”.
Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu said the fatality rate of Convid 19 is 2.3%, hence, the virus “is not a death sentence.”
“It is not as bad as Ebola, and we were able to deal with Ebola. As a state, we maintain international borders because of the airport and seaports, and the disease is coming from outside, unlike Lassa fever.
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“We have started screening at Asaba Airport but we want to urge our people not to panic, they should go about their lawful businesses without entertaining fears”.
Also speaking, the Incident Manager, Delta State Response Management Centre, Dr Anne Ojimba, gave tips on hygienic practices.
“Thorough washing of hands regularly, use of 60% alcohol based hand sanitisers, immediate visit to the hospital when fevers, dry cough and/or difficulty in breathing occurs, avoiding crowded places or gatherings, use of handkerchiefs when coughing or sneezing, staying a safe distance away from people who are coughing.”
She said 82,294 Convid 19 cases have be recorded globally and 2,804 deaths have been so far recorded, adding that the cases mostly occurred in China, stressing that: “there have been reported cases in Algeria and Egypt, making Nigeria a high-risk nation”.
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Ojimba urged residents of Delta to avoid contacts with persons suspected to be having respiratory disorder, charging health institutions to take precautionary measures.
Numbers to called in case of emergencies are; 08030758179, 08035078541(State Epidemiological), 08033521961 (Incidence Manager of the Delta State Public Emergency Operations Center), and toll-free numbers: 0800-970000-10.
