Kogi Govt Reveals More Facts On NCDC Claim Of COVID-19 Index Case, Tells Nigerians To Be The Judge
Kogi State government has released more facts about the reported index case of COVID-19 in Kogi State by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, telling Nigerians to be the judge.
Speaking on Saturday, the Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Haruna, said Nigerians are in the known that Kogi State has continued to resist the ascription of fictitious confirmed cases of Covid-19 to the state by NCDC to suit a performed narrative that every state in Nigeria has Covid-19.
The State Health Commissioner added that in the heat of the stand off, Kogi State woke up one morning to hear that NCDC has reported two cases for the state even when the state hasn't sent any sample to NCDC.
According to him, NCDC claims a 62 year old man and his son from Kabba Local Government Area of the State were tested positive to COVID-19 after being referred to National Hospital, Abuja by Federal Medical Centre, (FMC), Lokoja.
He explained that the 62 year old man who is Hypertensive/Diabetic was stung by bees in a burial ceremony he attended in his community and developed facial problems from the sting and was taken to the Sepcialist Hospital, Kabba.
The commissioner said the patient was eventually referred to Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja upon his own request due to the High Blood Sugar he developed.
He explained that the Doctor who treated him in Specialist Hospital, Kabba revealed there was no time the patient presented with fever, cough or difficulty in breathing.
He further added that upon arriaval in Lokoja, the management of FMC, Lokoja, claimed they referred the patient to Nationality Hospital, Abuja because he was referred to them on account of one week history of fever, cough and difficulty on breathing with high suspicion of COVID-19, a claim the referring Doctor has vehemently refuted.
He stressed that FMC, Lokoja breached protocol by using their ambulance to take the patient to National Hospital, Abuja without informing the State's Covid-19 management team to to pick up the patient to the the State's holding area for testing and onward management.
The Health Commissioner disclosed that on reaching Abuja, a Covid-19 test was hurriedly conducted and returned positive within 24hours, without following their procedure of collecting samples through the State Ministries of Health where an Epidemiological form will be filled by the State epidemiologist and a sample number called an epid number attached to accompany the sample to the laboratory for onward testing.
He added that in this case, nobody filled the form, no sample Epid. number and the NCDC only made the announcement, allocating two cases to Kogi State at all cost.
The Commionsioner for Health further revelead that the patients who NCDC claimed is COVID-19 positive hasn't been taken to an isolation centre and still at the National Hospital at this moment while his son who NCDC also claimed is COVID-19 positive has been running an errand for his father in the hospital going even as far as Suleja in Niger state.
He disclosed that the state COVID-19 team went to National Hospital, Abuja to conduct a confirmatory test on him using private molecular laboratory and Kogi State Rapid test kits but the patient denied the opportunity to get it done, citing fear of receiving punishment from NCDC.
He, however, concluded that, "Nigerians need to start asking NCDC what they stand to gain by manufacturing fictitious claims and attaching them to States and how eager they are to announce confirmed cases, a situation that has had them coming out to apologise publicly."
Speaking on Saturday, the Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Haruna, said Nigerians are in the known that Kogi State has continued to resist the ascription of fictitious confirmed cases of Covid-19 to the state by NCDC to suit a performed narrative that every state in Nigeria has Covid-19.
The State Health Commissioner added that in the heat of the stand off, Kogi State woke up one morning to hear that NCDC has reported two cases for the state even when the state hasn't sent any sample to NCDC.
According to him, NCDC claims a 62 year old man and his son from Kabba Local Government Area of the State were tested positive to COVID-19 after being referred to National Hospital, Abuja by Federal Medical Centre, (FMC), Lokoja.
He explained that the 62 year old man who is Hypertensive/Diabetic was stung by bees in a burial ceremony he attended in his community and developed facial problems from the sting and was taken to the Sepcialist Hospital, Kabba.
The commissioner said the patient was eventually referred to Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja upon his own request due to the High Blood Sugar he developed.
He explained that the Doctor who treated him in Specialist Hospital, Kabba revealed there was no time the patient presented with fever, cough or difficulty in breathing.
He further added that upon arriaval in Lokoja, the management of FMC, Lokoja, claimed they referred the patient to Nationality Hospital, Abuja because he was referred to them on account of one week history of fever, cough and difficulty on breathing with high suspicion of COVID-19, a claim the referring Doctor has vehemently refuted.
He stressed that FMC, Lokoja breached protocol by using their ambulance to take the patient to National Hospital, Abuja without informing the State's Covid-19 management team to to pick up the patient to the the State's holding area for testing and onward management.
The Health Commissioner disclosed that on reaching Abuja, a Covid-19 test was hurriedly conducted and returned positive within 24hours, without following their procedure of collecting samples through the State Ministries of Health where an Epidemiological form will be filled by the State epidemiologist and a sample number called an epid number attached to accompany the sample to the laboratory for onward testing.
He added that in this case, nobody filled the form, no sample Epid. number and the NCDC only made the announcement, allocating two cases to Kogi State at all cost.
The Commionsioner for Health further revelead that the patients who NCDC claimed is COVID-19 positive hasn't been taken to an isolation centre and still at the National Hospital at this moment while his son who NCDC also claimed is COVID-19 positive has been running an errand for his father in the hospital going even as far as Suleja in Niger state.
He disclosed that the state COVID-19 team went to National Hospital, Abuja to conduct a confirmatory test on him using private molecular laboratory and Kogi State Rapid test kits but the patient denied the opportunity to get it done, citing fear of receiving punishment from NCDC.
He, however, concluded that, "Nigerians need to start asking NCDC what they stand to gain by manufacturing fictitious claims and attaching them to States and how eager they are to announce confirmed cases, a situation that has had them coming out to apologise publicly."
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