Moses Ofodeme
Government of Borno state has said that two persons are on the run after testing positive for the coronavirus in Maiduguri, Borno State.
This was disclosed by the commissioner for health, Salisu Kwayabura at the daily media briefings which held on Sunday at the Government House in Maiduguri.
The two patients identified as Abbas Kaka Hassan, 24 year-old male and Hauwa Mohammed, 42 year-old female, were said to have left the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where they were supposed to receive treatment.
The commissioner said the male patient (Abbas) was in telephone contact with the response team after his sample was collected, but eventually switched off his phone when he learnt he tested positive.
He also said a phone number belonging to the patient’s mother had also been switched off.
“When samples of patients with contacts to index cases are collected, they are normally advised to go on self-isolation. They give their contacts so they can be reached when results are out. This is the standard medical procedure. You cant detain someone with suspected contact. We do not have the lawful powers to do that. Other patients were also allowed to leave but they came into isolation centres and we have 19 of them in two isolation centres. However, the young man in question, chose to go into hiding”.
He noted that a diligent surveillance and investigation team was working very hard to track the patients.
Kwayabura urged people who become positive for the disease not to regard it as a death sentence as majority of those who test positive have recovered from the disease.