No fewer than thirty-three confirmed cases of coronavirus has been recorded in Ebonyi with six persons discharged between April and May 2020.
Governor David Umahi stated this at the old government house Abakaliki on Sunday night in a state emergency live broadcast when he confirmed eighteen new caes of the virus in the state.
According to him, a total of nine (9) cases were recorded at Ishielu, Ivo and Izzi local government areas on Saturday 22nd May, while another nine cases were recorded at Afikpo North council Area on Sunday 23rd May.
Regretting the high increase of the virus in the state, the governor noted that the lack of testing kits from NCDC is the major reason the virus is spreading steadily.
He then called on the federal government to make available the testing kits in all the state laboratories to enable them follow all NCDC policies in the fight against the pandemic.
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However, the governor added that there is no community infection in the state, noting that the confirmed cases are people collected from the borders.
His words”On 22nd of May, we recorded (9) new cases, six from Ishielu LGA and (2 )from Ivo and one (1) from Izzi local government. The cases were all the people we collected from the border and some travelling from Delta, Lagos, and they sneak into the state through the borders. No community infection in Ebonyi state yet.
“Also disturbing is that on 23rd, we had another 9 new cases from Afikpo North alone and we suspected that these people got infected at the holding down centres but if we had test kits, and we tested them after 14days, and if they are not positive, they go but when they have stayed for 21days and it develops and we don’t know who has it, it becomes a major problem.
” Today again, we have new cases from Ohaukwu Local Government so on the whole, we have 33cases with six (6) discharge.
“Another problem associating with this is that we are holding these people in our holding centres in our various community and yet we have issues with test kits from NCDC even though they finally gave some which as of today are not enough so we wonder how we will be holding these people beyond 14days without testing them.
“I want to thank Ebonyians religiously that have been following the policies but they can’t manipulate the testing nor can manufacture the testing kits.
The breakdown of the cases Afikpo North 9 cases, Izzi 8 cases, Ishielu 6 cases, Ikwo 4 cases, Ohaukwu 2 cases, Ohaozara 2 cases, Ebonyi 1 case, Onicha 1 case, Ezza North 1.
and then