COVID-19: Gombe Govt House Clinic, SSG’s Office Shut For Fumigation

• As virus claims top official
• Taskforce begins contact tracing

BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, GOMBE – Office of the Secretary to the Gombe State Government (OSSG) and the Government House Clinic, have been officially shut down for fumigation to check the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the North East State.

The two government’s establishments were closed to business following confirmation that the COVID-19 test result of a top civil servant, who died on Sunday, returned positive.

Consequently, the State Task Force on COVID-19, through its Rapid Response Team (RRT), has already commenced line listing and contact tracing in relations to the late staff, Shuaibu Danlami, a Director in the SSG’s office who reportedly died of the virus infection.

Chairman of the TaskForce, Professor Idris Mohammed, disclosed the development at a media briefing where he equally confirmed that the test result of late Danlami was among the three COVID-19 positive cases recorded by the state on Wednesday, June 2, 2020.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Ismaila Uba Misilli, quoted the Task Force Chairman as saying that all high risk areas at the Government House, especially the office of the deceased; the SSG and the Clinic where he was admitted and treated will be closed, fumigated and samples of the respective occupants collected for testing.

Professor Mohammed said the Taskforce’s RRT has also began tracing individuals who participated in the deceased’s burial and his family members for counselling, testing and isolation if found positive.

The Taskforce Chairman said; “although we have managed to keep Gombe communities safe for well over two (2) months now because of the proactive steps taken by the government”, it is important to warn that there is now a clear evidence of community transmission of COVID-19 because two of the seven deaths recorded so far are individuals who have not travelled out of the state.

He said the Taskforce has intensified efforts to ramp up sensitization campaign through an expanded involvement of communities in the State.

Meanwhile, the State Taskforce boss said Governor Inuwa Yahaya has approved the expansion and modification of the COVID-19 laboratory at the State specialist hospital.

He said the approval followed recommendations by officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) that there should be an upgrade before the newly acquired Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine is installed.