COVID-19: FG puts health workers on alert, to reopen isolation centres

COVID-19: FG puts health workers on alert, to reopen isolation centres

Sets up C’ttee to ascertain effectiveness of vaccines

.Slams religious bodies for flouting safety inprotocol

The Federal Government has placed health workers on the alert amid rising concerns about a possible resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, government has taken steps to reopen some isolation centres hitherto closed during the waning days of the first wave of the pandemic.

Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire disclosed this in Abuja during Thursday’s briefing of the Presidential Taskforce PTF on COVID-19.

He said; “While we strive for the best, we must prepare for a possible second wave which we must ensure, does not get to be worse than what we have seen so far, judging from what we observe in other countries. The US, UK and other countries are going through very difficult times, and we do sympathize with them.

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“To prepare ourselves, I have directed that all Isolation and Treatment Centres, which were hitherto closed due to reduced patient load, to be prepared for reopening and the staff complement put on alert.

“The increase in infections stems certainly from rising community transmission to a large extent, but also to a less extent from travelers entering Nigeria, among whom we have recorded 87 positive cases arriving to the country, as against 59 in the previous week. This number can increase as the volume of travelers rises, especially as people return home for the Christmas and New Year holidays. To ensure that we further contain imported cases, Port health officers at Points of entry have been directed to be vigilant and diligent in screening travelers arriving Nigeria, especially from high burden countries”.

Ehanire also disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Health and the Katsina State Government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to upgrade the Federal Medical Centre in Katsina to a Teaching Hospital for the Medical School of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina.

“A similar arrangement is pending for Otukpo in Benue State”, he revealed.

He said whenever Nigeria gets its first consignment of vaccines, it would transfer them to the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC to certify for human usage.

Chairman of the Taskforce and Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha in his opening remarks said the federal government has set up a “technical machinery” to determine the effectiveness of vaccines as they are rolled out by pharmaceutical companies.

According to Mustapha, “The PTF is fully aware of the global race and discussions around the vaccine. The country has set up technical machinery to ascertain the most effective, safe and prudent vaccine for Nigerians. One assurance we wish to give is that any vaccine that will be approved for Nigeria will be endorsed by the WHO and must be certified safe for Nigerians to use by our research and scientific bodies”.

According to the PTF, the first set of candidate vaccines are ready  to be rolled out in Europe and the USA, and a Technical Working Group led by the National Primary Health Development Agency is working on evaluation of prospective vaccines and Nigeria’s vaccine needs.

“We are working with the WHO and GAVI led covax facility and other stakeholders, to ensure that Nigeria will access quality vaccines, when they are deployed. We also continue to explore all avenues of getting access to additional vaccines and in that connection met with H.E. the Ambassador of the UAE to Nigeria, at the Ministry of Health, to discuss cooperation in access to vaccine technological  and production. He reaffirmed the support of his country for our response to the pandemic”, the PTF stated.

The SGF also frowned at the violation of the ban on large gatherings by religious organisations in the country, urging states to ensure a reversal of the trend.

“We have observed, rather sadly, that Nigerians, particularly some faith based organisations have continued to hold events of large gatherings capable of spreading the virus. The PTF urges all sub-national entities that signed the protocols with these organisations and have primary responsibility for enforcing the protocols and NPIs to step up their roles of enforcement”, he stated.

The SGF added that while it is true that family economies have collapsed, jobs lost, mental health issues arisen, some persons have also taken to drugs and rape cases have now escalated.

He said the solution is to exercise enormous self-restraint, vigilance and that citizens should take advantage of the mental health programmes nearest to them.

“In Abuja, for example, the Federal Medical Centre in Jabi is the facility to visit”, he disclosed.

The PTF advised event organisers to subject potential attendees to COVID-19 tests.

“The COVID 19 pandemic has persisted in the disruption of human activities. We have just received a Report that one of the annual events of a critical security agency has ended abruptly out of abundance of caution, due to detection of an infected personnel. The significance of this occurrence is that testing is critical to the success of our National Response. We therefore urge Nigerian and organisers of events to vigorously pursue the path of testing especially for delegates attending events”, he stated.

On social media reports regarding the procurement of fake COVID-19 PCR certificates, the PTF said the development is currently being investigated.

National Coordination of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu also urged states to reopen their treatment isolation centres, saying the taskforce has seen cases of patients requiring the use of ventilators.