Kwara State Technical Committee on COVID-19 has confirmed two separate cases of Coronavirus in the state.
A statement by the chief press secretary to the governor and spokesman of the technical committee on COVID-19, Rafiu Ajakaye, on Monday evening, said that one of the two cases is the wife of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) patient; a UK returnee, who died last Thursday, while the other is another UK returnee.
“This statement is issued at 18:33 pm, a few minutes after the government received official confirmation of test results from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Test Centre in Ibadan.
“The government will address a news briefing tomorrow morning at 11 am to give details and further measures now being taken to tackle the development”, the statement said.
It is recalled that controversy had trailed death of a 67-year-old chartered accountant and auditor, who reportedly died in the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) of suspected COVID-19.
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While the Kwara State government has denied the story through the chief press secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, the UITH management through a statement signed by the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee for the UITH, Dr (Mrs) Aishat Saka, described the process of admission and conduct of medical personnel connected with the treatment of the deceased as “highly unethical”.
The deceased, who reportedly arrived from the UK to the country 12 days before admission to the hospital, was said to have died on Thursday, April 2, 2020, of food poisoning, with reported symptoms of Coronavirus pandemic.
The statement by the hospital management reads:
“BRIEFED ON A CASE THAT DIED AT UITH ON THURSDAY, APRIL, 2ND, 2020.
“A 57year old, male, Muslim patient was brought into the UITH’s Accident & Emergency Department on the night of Wednesday, April 1st, 2020 in the company of one of the hospital’s Professor of Internal Medicine (a specialist in infectious diseases); with history of abdominal discomfort/stooling, following ingestion of rotten pineapples. He was then admitted and managed as a case of ‘food poisoning’. The patient later died in the early hours of the following day, 2nd, April, 2020.
“Following the patient’s death and release of his corpse to the managing professor (who also claimed to be his relative) for immediate burial (in accordance with Islamic rites), the hospital management received several anonymous calls disclosing information of recent travels by the patient and his wife to UK and having been on self-isolation on arrival to Ilorin 12 days prior presentation at A&E (on the advise of the Professor who brought him)- Information that was concealed from the frontline medical personnel at first contact in the A&E, A&E Attendants and the mortuary staff; acts that the hospital’s management considered HIGHLY UNETHICAL!!!!
“Based on this hidden and additional information, the hospital’s management and the UITH’s COVID-19 Committee immediately swung into action by doing the following:
1. The case was labelled a ‘Suspected Case’;
2. Immediate notification to Kwara State COVID-19 Committee Response Team;
3. Proactive fumigation of the hospital Medical Emergency Department;
4. Proactive advise for self-isolation of close contacts of the patient while in the hospital & their follow-up by UITH’s COVID-19 Cmte Team;
5. Collaboration with Kwara State COVID-19 Response Team on Contract tracing in the Community;
6. Collection of laboratory samples from the deceased’s wife, the Professor, and all others identified as ‘very high risks Contacts’ using National COVID-19 Guideline; and
7. Institution of other measures at every points of Clinical Services to protect health care staff in the frontlines and other, in cases of deceptions from Clients with probable symptoms of COVID-19.
“The hospital is therefore thankful to these anonymous callers for this vital/critical information. The hospital hereby advises the general public to provide necessary and timely information that will aid appropriate care, services, and prompt response from health workers in the hospital.”
Meanwhile, the Kwara State government has denied that the state has recorded a case of coronavirus (COVID-19), adding however that all the six samples of suspected cases so far tested in the state have been negative.
“The Kwara State Technical Committee on COVID-19 wishes to clarify that the state has not recorded any confirmed case of COVID-19. As of now, all the six samples tested from Kwara State have returned negative,” Rafiu Ajakaye, spokesman of the Kwara State Technical Committee on COVID-19, said in a statement in Ilorin.
“The committee states that there is no fact, at this moment, to support suggestions that a male patient who died on last Wednesday night at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital was a COVID-19 patient.
“Findings by the medical advisory subcommittee revealed that the patient and his wife arrived from the United Kingdom, reportedly came to Ilorin on 20th March 2020, and went into self-quarantine without reaching out to the government or the technical committee. On the 13th day of the self-quarantine, the husband suddenly had difficulties breathing after reportedly eating dinner and was rushed to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital. Efforts to resuscitate him proved abortive and he was pronounced dead.
“The deceased, a Muslim, was promptly taken to Offa, his hometown, where he was interned on Thursday. Owing to the travel history of the deceased, all the medics who attended to him at the UITH have gone into self-quarantine. Similarly, family members who have had contact with the deceased and his wife have been directed to do same. For abundance of caution, samples have been taken from his wife and four others and results are expected in the coming days.
“The committee hereby repeats that there is no record that the UITH patient ever tested positive for the virus.”