COVID-19: Gombe to get testing machine Tuesday

All things have been equal based on the arrangements so far made, the COVID-19 testing centre established by the Gombe State government is expected to take off on Tuesday.

The disclosure was made by the Gombe State Taskforce on COVID-19 which assured that it hopes to start testing suspected cases of coronavirus in the state effective from Wednesday, May 27th 2020.

The State’s Taskforce Chairman on COVID-19, Professor Idris Mohammed, told newsmen during the Committee’s daily briefing Monday afternoon, that the transporters of the machine (DHL) had assured that the machine would be in Bauchi for collection by 3 pm on Tuesday, May 26th 2020.

He further said that officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) are also expected to inspect, install and commission the machine which was paid for, almost two months ago by the state government, for use as from Wednesday, May 27th 2020.

He stated that; “For almost two months, the machine was paid for by the Gombe State Government to facilitate quick and easy detection of suspected cases of COVID-19 in Gombe State which is located in the centre of the North-East and also a gateway to most of the five other states in the subregion.”

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The Taskforce Chairman also explained to Journalists the challenges the committee had been facing in evacuating 20 persons from different parts of the state to its isolation centres in Gombe, the state capital saying that evacuating them would help in curtailing community spread of the virus which the state had not experienced at the moment.

“So far, we have not had any confirmed case of a person who got infected with the virus with a travel history or within the community. All confirmed cases either travelled into the State with it or were on transit,” he explained.

State Epidemiologist, Dr Nuhu Bile, explained that the committee has engaged traditional, community and religious leaders to prevail on those persons with confirmed cases on the need to be isolated in order to be effectively treated.

Nuhu Bile also said that the committee was, so far, making progress as the confirmed positive persons are all on strict self-isolation so as to prevent community spread and are receiving the required treatment.

The taskforce then appealed to the people to as a matter of necessity subject themselves for test as soon as they experience any of the symptoms of the infection stressing that testing positive is not a death sentence considering the rate at which patients are getting discharged after due treatment.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE