FG asks states to prepare more bed spaces as COVID-19 cases rise

The Federal Government on Thursday asked state governments to prepare more bed spaces for COVID-19 patients as the number of infections rise daily.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire made the call at the daily press briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.

According to the latest data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Nigeria has till date recorded 27,110 positive cases, with 10,801 cases discharged and 616 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. There are a total of 15,693 active cases.

Read also: 20% Nigerian women from 15yrs at risk of developing cervical cancer — Health Minister, Ehanire

Ehanire said: “We are urging state governments to prepare for the worst. This rising trend requires that each state of the federation to continue to prepare more bed spaces and increase sample collection sites, as well as improve logistics to deliver to designated laboratories promptly.

“It is also important to protect the vulnerable by putting in place measures which take care of their social needs and reduce their exposure to risks of infection.”

The minister also noted that the rising number of cases is “a sign that COVID-19 is actually expanding faster than our systems are handing it.”

Speaking the strategy his ministry has adopted, Ehanire said COVID-19 positive persons, who did not show symptoms of the virus, would be admitted in hospitals, if they had conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, among others.

“The Federal Ministry of Health’s plan will be to focus more on minimising fatalities by prioritising pre-emptive admission to hospital for medical observation, for all persons who test positive for COVID-19 and meet our definition of vulnerability, even if they do not yet have classical symptoms”, he said, adding that with the lifting of the ban on interstate travels, the assumption should not be that the COVID-19 danger was over.

According to him, the risks of being infected, he said, were higher during travels, advising Nigerians to avoid non-essential travels.

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