Katsina confirms nine new COVID-19 cases, discharges six at FMC

– NCDC urges Benue to establish a lab at BSUTH

Kastina State Government has said that nine additional patients have tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), just as the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in the state discharged six of the 14 patients who were positive.

Also Governor Aminu Masari has ordered the lockdown of Kankia, Matazu and Musawa councils, which recorded one case each.

Speaking with newsmen yesterday, the Commissioner for Health, Nuhu Yakubu, disclosed that two cases were discovered in Daura and Katsina councils, with one case each from Batagarawa, Kankia, Musawa and Matazu.

Confirmation of the new cases, he added, was received yesterday from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

He, however, said that six old cases of COVID-19 from Daura had tested negative on two occasions.

The lockdown of the three councils as ordered by Masari, which is to commence on Friday morning, is contained in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mustapha Inuwa.

Chief Medical Director of the FMC, Dr. Bello Muhammad, told newsmen yesterday that the patients’ discharge came 19 days after they began receiving medical attention.

He said the remaining eight patients were responding to treatment.

Muhammad expressed hope that five other patients, who had been tested once, would be discharged after the second test.

Meanwhile, NCDC has advised the Benue State Government to mobilise resources and establish a reference laboratory at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) to test for COVID-19.

Team leader of NCDC in Benue, Professor Steve Abah, stated this at the Government House yesterday while making a presentation on their activities and that of Benue COVID-19 Action Committee in the past one month.

Abah stressed that there was a need for the state to carry out more COVID-19 tests and open up more centres where samples could be taken for testing.

His words: “It is our recommendation that at least a treatment centre be established in each of the three senatorial districts of the state.

“Benue also need to train health workers to handle COVID-19 cases irrespective of whether they are from private or public hospitals.

“The state, as it is now, lacks equipment for the treatment of the COVID-19 cases. Therefore, there should be dedicated equipment installed at the various treatment centres for the intensive case of coronavirus patients.”