‘Gombe Gov’t ready to handle third wave’

The Gombe State Government said it is fully prepared to handle the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the event of a possible outbreak in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Habu Dahiru who stated this yesterday in a telephone interview with North East Trust, said his ministry is ever ready to handle the third wave of the pandemic.

He said the state has never been off guard since the outbreak of the pandemic.

According to him, on daily basis between 700 to 800 tests are being carried out at the state-owned Molecular Laboratory, adding that most of the victims show mild symptoms without any underlying ailment, hence are being isolated and managed at their respective homes.

“We are always on alert through use of face masks, hand sanitisers and sensitising the public through paid radio jingles. Also, we have recently sent our level of preparedness report to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

So, we are ever ready for the third wave, as we have never relented in our effort to contain the virus,” Dr Dahiru said.

According to him, all the Isolation Centres in Kwadon, FTH, Specialists Hospital and General Hospitals in Bajoga and Kaltungo are ready in the event of an escalation of cases.

The commissioner, however, explained that presently there are no patients at the Kwadon isolation centre and the other centres, “this was because we have only 20 positive patients that are on admission at the specialists’ hospital.

“But we have never permanently closed any of the centres and they are ready to receive patients when the need arises, also our Emergency Operation Centre and Incident Management Centre are fully operational,” he concluded.

North East Trust reports that at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the state government had set up an Isolation Centre at Kwadon in Yamaltu/Deba Local Government, specifically for positive victims of the disease.