Residents of Umuahia, the Abia State capital, and their Aba counterparts have expressed fears over what they described as “looming” implosion of COVID-19 in the state.
A cross-section of Umuahia and Aba residents that spoke with our reporter said that the health situation of the state is seriously in danger if the records of positive COVID-19 patients in the state as published by the National Center for Disease Control is anything to go by.
The respondents who added that the absence of a testing center in any part of the state may be a huge setback to the efforts of the state government to ensure tests results of samples were carried out quickly, feared that the situation in the state is even made worse as many people for fear of stigmatization and among other factors have decided to embrace self help than seeking proper treatment in government recognized health facilities.
“Many people are now going to the roadside chemist or drug shops to treat themselves. The amount of persons being administered drip in chemist shops in Aba is alarming.
“I have had the time to interact with some of them; they show signs of COVID-19. But when they get to these chemist shops, the operators or owners of these chemists or patent drug shops will be administering drip on them even without doing so with a medical lab test.
“I will not be surprised to hear tomorrow that the number of COVID-19 cases in Abia is on the increase. The reason is that Aba is a commercial city where people from various parts of Africa converge to trade. Since this lockdown, I can tell you that many people have ignored the government’s directives to be traveling from one part of the country to another, including Lagos that is the epic center of the COVID-19.
“The activities of the patent drug store owners should be seriously monitored. Some are attending to COVID-19 patients unknowingly, while some are looking at the money that will make from the suspected COVID-19 patients,” Mr. Chukwudi Gilbert stated.
The chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Abia State chapter, Dr. Carol Ejiro Iwuoha in an interview stated that the upsurge was predicted, adding that the medical personnel in the state were working assiduously to ensure that those in various isolation centers were well attended to.
In a radio programme monitored by our reporter, the Information Commissioner in the state, Chief John Okiyi-Kalu who called into the programme stated that most of the COVID-19 cases recorded in the state so far is coming from the Aba area.
Okiyi-Kalu who frowned at the activities of the Muslim community especially on Fridays during their Jumat prayer session also frowned on the activities of some pastors of churches in Aba who failed to comply with the directives of the state government with regards to wearing of face masks, maintaining social distancing and other protocols during their Sunday services.
The Information Commissioner who expressed worries over the rate of COVID-19 cases recorded in Aba in recent times said “It looks like all that we have said, all the sensitization and efforts of both the government and the media hasn’t worked, because Aba people have continued to be in violation of the regulations with the regards to wearing of face mask, social distancing and avoiding gatherings. Even the churches in Aba are part of the problems that we are now facing.
“It looks like Aba is now a very red location for COVID-19 and all hands should be on deck now; everyone must take measures to protect his or herself while government works out new measures that we want to put in place to at least, slow down the spread of this virus in Aba and Umuahia and indeed, the whole of Abia State.
“The inter-ministerial committee directed the chairman of Aba South Local Government to specifically enforce the regulations at the Mosque in Aba. The chairman of Umuahia North and South were equally given the same directives regarding Friday Jumat Prayers in the various Mosques.
“The TC chairs are by the directives, the chairmen of the enforcement team in their various localities. What we discovered is that some people have continued to violate (the government directives), particularly the Mosque at Hospital road by Mosque in Aba South LGA. That particular Mosque is a very dangerous zone right now and we will soon role out the plan of the government to ensure complaints in that place.
“It is sad that people are endangering their lives and at the same time, endangering the lives of others. We can all work together to stop the spread of this virus.
“The situation in Aba is very alarming. People must take responsibility. The rate of infection of medical workers in Aba is very high. It means that a lot of COVID-19 patients are presenting themselves to hospitals and our medics are not attending to them with full protection.
Disclaimer: infonte9ja.com shall not be liable to Opinions, Articles or Features that doesn't emanate from any of its staff and management. We also wish to reiterate that such personal or sponsored opinion, article or feature does not reflect the views of the publishers of infonet9ja.com, but the writer's
For publication of your news content, articles, videos or any other news worthy materials, please send to infonetnews9ja@gmail.com | For Advert and other info, you can call 09061217047 or send a WhatsApp Message to 09061217047
“They should also decontaminate their facility as regularly as possible, especially when somebody dies in a hospital and they do not have the relevant report to determine whether that person died as a result of COVID-19. Any hospital that loses a patient without proper test to determine the immediate cause of the person’s death should decontaminate.”
