…State Confirms 3 New Cases
Moses Ofodeme
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has recovered from COVID-19 and has tested negative twice to the virus.
The governor disclosed this in a series of tweets through his official handle on Wednesday, thanking God for his recovery.
“I am delighted to report today, that after nearly four weeks of observing a strict medical regime, I have now received the all-clear after two consecutive negative test results,” he wrote.
“I thank Almighty Allah for His grace and mercy. I also acknowledge with gratitude the massive outpouring of sympathy, prayers, and public support that followed the disclosure of the infection.”
Governor El-Rufai also revealed that his family went through trauma during his battle with the virus, and lauded them for been “supportive as usual.”
He said: “My family not only went through the trauma of potentially losing a member but also the risk of being infected as well.
“The entire family has been supportive as usual, while my many friends and colleagues from all over the world have sent their prayers and best wishes.”
Also, he thanked the Ministry of Health and the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital for their help while acknowledging the leadership qualities of his deputy, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, who has been running the state.
“I wish to thank the diligent medical personnel of our Ministry of Health and the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital who managed my case for their dedicated and professional care,” he added.
“It was cheering to see the determined efforts of our COVID-19 Task Force chaired by the Deputy Governor, the officials of our Ministry of Health ably led by the Commissioner and our security/enforcement agencies, to manage and contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state.”
He said, “The commitment, competence, and capabilities displayed by the Kaduna State Government in my four-week absence is clear evidence that we have a public service we can all be proud of.”
“I am relieved by my recovery. With the privilege of life, sound health, and the support and prayers of our citizens, I will continue to lead the Kaduna State Government’s efforts to ensure that as few of our people as possible get infected by COVID-19 and that those who do can receive adequate and timely care and treatment. Our emphasis is rightly on prevention because it is the prudent thing to do to save lives, given the limited capacity of our health system.
“I am delighted by the recovery of four other COVID-19 cases who were discharged last week which was followed yesterday with the discharge of a fifth patient. On Monday, we received the sad news of three more positive cases in Kaduna State. They will receive the best care that our dedicated health professionals can muster and we wish them a speedy recovery from COVID-19.
“We must all work hard to ensure that we keep COVID-19 out of Kaduna State. We have lower infection rates than expected due to the stringent measures we imposed in our state, but we cannot let our guards down. We are in dangerous times. This disease is a threat to our humanity, our lives, and livelihoods. As someone that has experienced it, I will not wish it on my worst enemy.
“We must reiterate that an infected person can show no symptoms as I did, for up to two weeks, while unknowingly infecting others close to him or even through casual contact. That is why mixing with many people is not a good idea. While four of every five infected persons show mild symptoms like headache, fever, and cough and recover fully, there is evidence worldwide that older people and those with pre-existing health challenges like hypertension and diabetes are particularly at greater risk of dying if they get the COVID-19 infection.
“We must, therefore, do everything to avoid exposure and prevent the spread of this disease in our towns and villages. We must now make the sacrifices of enhanced domestic hygiene, regular hand-washing with soap, staying at home, and avoiding crowds to defeat this disease”.
I thank Almighty Allah for His grace and mercy. I also acknowledge with gratitude the massive outpouring of sympathy, prayers and public support that followed the disclosure of the infection.
Meanwhile, thenKaduna State Ministry of Health said on Wednesday it had discharged one more patient out of the six persons who tested positive for the coronavirus in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina Mahammed Baloni, who gave the confirmation, said the latest discharge had taken the number of cleared cases to five since April 14.
Baloni, however, confirmed three new cases of coronavirus infection in the state, bringing the latest total number of pending cases in Kaduna State to four.
According to her, among the three new cases is a 23-year-old male “who came into the state from Istanbul via Dubai sometime in March.”
She added that the second patient “is a 51-year-old male who was tested in Samaru, Sabon-Gari Local Government Area, after coming in from Kano.”
Baloni said the third patient had earlier travelled to Kano and he is a 42-year-old male from Unguwan Geza, Kaduna.
She said: “These new cases reflect the danger that inter-state travels pose to efforts to contain COVID-19.
“Such travels spread the virus from place to place, complicate contact-tracing, and risk implanting the virus in communities.”
The commissioner insisted that the lockdown, which compelled “people to stay at home is based on the logic that during a pandemic, the less contact with others, the safer everyone is.”
Baloni, therefore, advised residents “to avoid inter-state travels and to promptly report to the authorities any person who has recently travelled from an affected state and develops symptoms of cough, fever, or sore throat.
“Such reports can be made to the COVID-19 Call Centre in Kaduna State, on the following numbers: 08051217710, 09058008251, 08118588175, 08118588176, and 09032102632.”
She also urged the public not to disregard “the importance of hand-washing, personal hygiene, social distancing, and the avoidance of large gatherings in helping to protect us all from COVID-19.
“It is important to stay home, stay safe and save lives.”