Rivers govt denies NMA claim that 82 state health workers contracted COVID-19

The Rivers State government led by Governor Nyesom Wike has denied a claim made by the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association that no fewer than 82 health care workers in the state recently contracted COVID-19 disease while on duty.

The claim was debunked in a statement issued on Sunday by the State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Princewill Chike, who described the statement of the doctors as “baseless and untrue”.

According to Prof. Chike, the assertion of the NMA was deliberately misconstrued for personal reasons.

READ ALSO: RIVERS: 22 doctors, 60 other health workers test positive for COVID-19

He said; “Our attention has been drawn to the comments of the NMA Chairman on the rising number of COVID cases. While we do not wish to take issues with her at this stage of the pandemic, it is important to state very categorically that the data is baseless and the assumptions in the press statement are totally untrue and misconstrued for personal reasons.

“It is incorrect to say that 82 health care workers are infected with COVID in the state. This data is false and does not match the PCR laboratory data or the numbers on the national data repository of the NCDC. One therefore wonders what gain comes from the deliberate distortion of figures,” he concluded.

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