Twelve Health Workers Test Positive For COVID-19 In Taraba

Twelve health workers comprising of three doctors and nine nurses have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Federal Medical centre, Jalingo, the Taraba state capital.

Confirming the incident to Newsmen in Jalingo, shortly after an emergency meeting of the technical committee, the acting head of clinical services of the hospital Ishaya Kola said the medical personnel are responding to treatment adequately.

”For this year alone, FMC has recorded 19 cases of COVID-19, out of which 12, unfortunately, are health workers,” he said.

”Among the health workers are three doctors and nine nurses of which none is dead.”

His counterpart the Chief Medical Director of the State’s Specialist hospital, Alex Maiyangwa, said mass testing is ongoing.

”In the last one month we tested 363 cases and 60 without the health workers turned out positive and fortunately, no mortality ”

Worried by the state of non-compliance, the state government through the technical committee has ordered for compulsory wearing of facemasks by residents in public places.

Chairman of the committee Innocent Vakkai says hands must be on deck to check further spread of the pandemic.

”The committee noted that there is an increase in the number of cases in the state which cuts across all the LGAs with the epocentre as the state capital Jalingo.

”In view of that, the committee is advocating that the populace should ensure the compulsory use of facemasks in public places.

”The number of cases is rising in Taraba and if nothing is done, it can lead to a catastrophic end.

”As we await the arrival of the vaccines, let me put it on record that it will first be given to front line health workers that are working directly on patients, either at isolation or treatment centres ”

“Just in case any corps member is found to be COVID-19 positive, the committee has put up measures on how they can be isolated.”

According to the NCDC, so far Taraba has a record of 296 cases, with 213 discharged while 71 are active.

While the NCDC says 12 persons have died of the deadly coronavirus in Taraba, the State government disagrees with the figure, insisting that no mortality has befallen the state as regards COVID-19.

Lack of PPEs and exposure of medical personnel to COVID-19 pandemic is one of the reasons why the Association of Resident Doctors are currently on strike in the state.