Ekiti raises the alarm over possible community spread of COVID-19

Says 11 tested positive out of 153 samples screened
The Ekiti State Government, yesterday, raised the alarm over possible community spread of COVID-19 in the state if people did not comply with directives.

It said that the fear stemmed from the disturbing revelations from the 153 samples screened at the laboratory out of which 142 were negative, with 11 turning positive.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, who spoke in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday, while giving an update on the COVID-19 situation in the state, said 505 samples had been taken and tested since March 19 when the state recorded the first patient.

“Our fear is the possibility of community spread in Ekiti State because we could not trace all the contacts and the present statistics revealed that we had 7.189 per cent, which was the highest in recent time,” she said.

Yaya-Kolade, who stated that the real community testing had not started, said that the recent percentage was high enough for the state to take caution and prepare for any eventuality, saying: “Out of the 11 positive patients, eight are on admission at the isolation centre.”

However, the Head of COVID-19 Task Force in the state, Prof. Bolaji Aluko, said that since March 19, 2020 when Ekiti State had the first case, only 35 cases had been reported.

Aluko stated that owing to the suspicion that there could be possible breakout of community spread of the disease, there was need to tighten security at borders to checkmate incursions and influx of people from neighbouring states.

“All the cases we had had were through border incursion.”

Aluko stated that the government was also planning to relocate some traders in the Ado-Ekiti metropolis to Agric Olope Market to decongest the neighbourhood markets at Okeyinmi, Irona, Adere, Awedele and other areas for strict adherence to physical distancing rule.