In direct response to the two confirmed index cases of Coronavirus in the State, Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has disclosed that his government has dispatched officers in rigorous contact tracing to ascertain others who might have had contact with the index cases.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu made this public while briefing the Press on the development in Government House, Umuahia. According to the Governor, massive contact tracing would commence in Ikwuano, Umuahia North and Ukwa West Local Goverment Areas of the State as the index cases had contact with persons in those LGAs.
Dr. Ikpeazu ordered the immediate closure of the private clinic where one of the index cases was being treated as well as quarantining of staff and patients of the health outfit. He revealed that the index cases are septugenarians who had no previous traveling history in recent times, disclosing that while one is 70, the other is 72 years old. He equally informed that the two index cases had underlining medical conditions ranging from diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke.
The Governor made public that his administration shall embark on massive community testing and called on frontline officers and everyone who has a role to play to redouble effort and show greater committment to the fight against the disease.
The Governor, who enjoined Abia people and residents to maintain the covid 19 preventive measures including, regular and proper hand-washing, use of hand-sanitizers, social distancing among others informed that his administration has trained frontline officers, provided 6 ambulances to support logistics of picking suspected cases, provided ventilators, enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and additional face masks. He stated that anyone who allows himself to be used to undermine government’s efforts to fight the virus would be regarded as a saboteur and be made to face the wrath of the law.
He reminded Abians that it is now compulsory to wear face masks while outside, stating that any person who flouts this directive will have himself to blame.
The session also featured questions from different journalists and responses from the Governor.
The Governor was joined by the Deputy Governor Ude Oko Chukwu, Secretary to Government, Barrister Chris Ezem, Honorable Commissioner for Health, Dr Joe Osuji, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr ACB Agbazuere and the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Center Umuahia.
Onyebuchi Ememanka, Esq
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.
April 21st, 2020.
