Seven WASSCE candidates test positive for COVID-19 in Gombe

The Gombe State government said on Wednesday seven students of Government Girls Secondary School Doma, had tested positive for COVID-19.

The development brings the total number of students that had contracted the virus since reopening of schools in the state to eight.

A student of Government Science Secondary School Gombe, had earlier tested positive for the virus.

The state’s Commissioner for Education, Dr. Habu Dahiru, who disclosed this visiting the unnamed student on Wednesday, said the ministry, in collaboration with the state’s Task Force on COVID-19, had conducted 1,100 tests since schools reopened for students in exit classes.

The commissioner disclosed that the seven students are also writing the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Gombe discharges 350 patients, records 19 deaths

Dahiru said: “We gave preference to students returning from epicentre states like Kaduna, Kano, Yobe and Lagos, those places that had registered high cases of COVID-19. So far, we have tested 1,100 cases, out of which the first case was from Government Science Secondary School.

“He was immediately evacuated and isolated. He had written his first paper – Mathematics – and he is writing Agricultural Science today (Wednesday). It will be demoralising for him if we don’t allow him to write his exams.

“The government of Gombe State under the leadership of Governor Inuwa Yahaya said all students found to be positive of the virus should be taken care of.

“We have identified another set of students. We only got the results yesterday (Tuesday). Seven of them have been found to test positive for the virus. We are making arrangements to evacuate them to the isolation centre.

“We will not allow them to miss their papers because they tested positive. The testing became easier because the governor approved N120 million for the establishment of a molecular laboratory. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has certified it and we have started testing in earnest.”

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