The Ekiti State Government is working tirelessly to expand the capacity of its isolation centre to be able to accommodate 120 potential patients suffering from coronavirus as the pandemic begins to spread across the nation.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, made this known in Ado Ekiti, on Friday, while members of the Ekiti State Task Force on COVID-19 were briefing the newsmen on the situation report on the pandemic in the state.
She disclosed that the state now has nine functional Ventilators purchased for the purpose of ensuring that no victim of COVID-19 loses his life in the state as a result of poor treatment.
Yaya-Kolade said the government has been taking proactive actions since March 18, 2020, when it recorded the first index case, saying the expansion of Isolation centre is targeted at ensuring that no death is recorded in Ekiti.
She said the two cases recorded thus far were treated with investigational drugs and these she said had been working.
“The expansion of the isolation centre to 120-bed is not misplaced because the pandemic is still ongoing even in United States of America and we have to be proactive. To us, this is not a misplaced priority, but sign of good governance.
“This is going to be an expansion of the isolation centre at Oba Adejugbe General Hospital. The one we have now is 10-bed and it needs expansion.
“Our emergency operational centre is functional and whoever suspects any case should call us . Don’t come to our facility, we will come and pick you wherever you are.
“As of now, no active case in Ekiti. There was a misinformation in town that Ekiti has recorded the third case, people should dismiss this. We had recorded two cases so far , the victims were treated and had been discharged.”
The commissioner added that the government is embarking on aggressive education and sensitization of people while also putting them on surveillance to quickly ascertain those who fall victim of the scourge.
Also speaking about the modalities put in place to mitigate its effect of Covid-19, the Commissioner for Budget, Mr. Femi Ajayi, said a total of 20,000 indigent residents had benefited from food palliative distributed by government.
Ajayi stated that all the social investment programmes like the school feeding programme, N-power and conditional cash transfer are still operational to give people succour under the present condition.
He added that 16,000 had received the federal government- powered conditional cash transfer, which he said was paid with backlog of arrears.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Gbenga Agbeyo, revealed that all the major markets in Ado Ekiti, including Oja Oba market as well as public and private institutions like Afe Babalola University and other higher institutions have been fumigated to exterminate the virus inntge state.
“The fumigation team had visited all banks, state secretariat and all our institutions. We will visit all mega churches and mosques very soon. We are not taking anything to chances in our quest to tackle this disease”.
Agbeyo added that all the entry points and borders have been locked down and were being manned by combined forces of security agencies to check influx of people.
“Even inside our towns, security are stationed in strategic places and there were checkpoints to prevent abuses and for our citizens to respect the sit at home directive.”
