UPDATE: COVID-19: Wife of Deceased Kwara Case Still Alive, Asymptomatic But…

• As infuriated UITH suspends Prof Salami for unethical conduct

BY AJOKE BABAREKE, ILORIN – There are conflicting stories over the wife of the deceased COVID-19 index case in Kwara State.

While initial reports said she also died, other sources within the Kwara State Ministry of Health, said authoritatively that the wife is alive, well and asymptomatic at the moment.

This is just as the Kwara State government on Tuesday disclosed that about 75 persons, who had contact with the two COVID-19 cases in the state are presently under contact-tracing with a view to tame and curb the spread of the pandemic disease in the state.

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who stated the position of the state government in Ilorin, said that COVID-19 is a global pandemic and not a death sentence or otherwise thus urged the people of Kwara to endeavour to maintain social distancing as well as public and personal hygiene.

Abdulrazaq told journalists during a press briefing at Government House, Illorin, that there is the need for the people to remain calm and vigilant.

But the management of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital is not taking the COVID-19 incident lying low as it announced the immediate suspension of Professor A. K Salami, a Senior Consultant with the hospital for unethical conduct on Monday.

A statement signed by the Director of Administration of UITH, David Odaibo, on behalf of the Chief Medical Director, explained that Professor Salami suspension was as a result of what he described as “unethical conduct” in the admission, management and eventual release of the corpse of a suspected COVID-19 case, who died in the hospital on the 3rd of April, 2020.

Odaibo said; “The suspension is as a result of his unethical conduct in the admission, management and eventual release of the corpse of a suspected COVID-19 patient who died in the hospital on the 3rd of April, 2020.

A Professor in UITH, who does not want his name in print, said: “About 25 health workers, including doctors and nurses were exposed to the deadly COVID-19 patient. The group on duty was called Firm 3 on the said day.

“Being the patient of the Professor of Internal Medicine (their boss), some House Officers and junior doctors on duty rushed to pay attention to the COVID-19 patient.”

“The patient had developed symptoms upon arrival in Lagos from the UK but the Professor made him to relocate to Ilorin.

“As I am talking to you, about six doctors and 19 other health workers have been quarantined by the hospital management.”

The source further said that the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has demanded a brief from the Chief Medical Director of the Teaching hospital, Prof. A.D. Yusuf.

Forefront News gathered that the late suspected case was a UK returnee, who was rushed to the hospital at the instance of the suspended Professor Salami.

Meanwhile, an official of the Kwara Health Ministry, who does not want her name in print since she was not officially authorized to speak on the matter, pointedly said off record that; “the wife of the late case is alive, well and asymptomatic at the moment. She was picked up last night to the isolation centre by members of the Kwara COVID-19 team and the State department of Public Health.”

The source further said that the wife may still be shedding the virus for now, adding that as at today (Tuesday), the team has about 300+ contacts that it is already tracing, adding that among those being traced include those that attended the burial and had contact with the index case before his demise.

Another source said that the health officials are still having issues locating their contacts because of the movement of the family from Ilorin to Offa and back to Ilorin just within days that the whole drama unfolded.

He said; “If they had heeded to our advice to hold on with the burial just for some minutes, the whole thing would not have gotten this messy as what we have now.”

The source further hinted that the second case of COVID-19 in Kwara, who is not related to the index case and his wife is also a UK returnee and a native of Offa, believed to have return to Offa some few days ago.

“He is not related to them at all even though he too came back from the UK almost same time with them,” he said with a stamp of authority.

The source also corroborated earlier reports that the Kwara COVID-19 team and the State department of Public Health were on their way to pick him from Offa to the isolation centre.

Our earlier story read; – The wife of a man, who is believed to be a returnee from the United Kingdom that died of suspected infection from Coronavirus at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital last Wednesday, is believed to have also died.

A source from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, said on telephone that; “The wife has also died this evening except they resuscitate her, it is a very sad development. In fact, right now people are being very careful around here,”

Another source corroborated the first source saying; “the woman died on Monday evening. Her death is yet to be made known to the public due to the speed at which more details are unfolding concerning the death of the index case.”

From every indication, more suspected cases of COVID-19 are surfacing in Kwara State though yet to be announced officially by the NCDC even as some individuals close to those suspected say offa, a popular town in Kwara State about 35minutes drive from Ilorin, the state capital have no COVID-19 Isolation centre neither a testing centre.

It was also gathered that the popular Offa town, has in few weeks witnessed an influx of UK returnees.

A source specifically gave an instance of a young man (name withheld), who is also a UK returnee and has only arrived Offa some few days ago, but suspected to have shown some signs of COVID-19, yet has refused to self-isolate himself.

It was however gathered that the Kwara State Committee on COVID-19 has scheduled to pick up the suspected case from Offa today (Tuesday) to Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin for isolation where he will be attended to

With the present situation of cases of COVID-19 springing up in Kwara State, the State government, it was gathered is considering adopting stiffer measures to tackle the spread of the pandemic among which is a lockdown on Offa town in particular and Kwara as a whole before things get out of hand.

It was also gathered that the test carried out on the wife of the deceased suspected index case at UITH Ilorin was carried out in Ibadan

As it is Kwara State has only one isolation centre situated in Sobi Specialist Hospital but does not have any testing centre in any part of the State

The Sobi Specialist Hospital which is being used as isolation center for the medical team that attended to the late case (name withheld), who died of suspected case of COVID-19, serves as an immunization centre, though built during Ebola outbreak period as an Isolation centre.

Kwara State with 16 Local Government Areas, has one Isolation centre in Ilorin, the State capital.