The government of Bayelsa state has said it would adopt aggressive testing and robust contacts tracing strategy to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.
The latest decision is arising after health workers and 46 others tested positive to the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 86.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Deputy Chairman of Bayelsa state COVID -19 Task Force, Dr Inodu Apoku, stated this on Wednesday during a news conference.
He said the test results were pending samples of Covid-19 suspected patients sent to laboratories across the South-South.
Dr Apoku also said the test results came in late because laboratories samples sent were having issues with reagents and supplies, adding that the state is still expecting more results today.
He said, “11 of these positive cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases. Eight are health care professionals. All the positive cases are being reached and counselled for evacuation to our Isolation Facilities.
“In the past two weeks, we have had over three hundred pending samples of COVID -19 suspected cases in various COVID -19 laboratories across the South-South. 54 of these samples returned positive for COVID -19. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to eighty-six in the State. We are expecting more test results from today as well.
“All their contacts are being line listed and adequately followed up including environmental decontamination. Samples have and are still being collected from their high -risk contacts while they have all been counselled on self-quarantine.
“Risk communication and community engagement are ongoing. We averagely send forty samples on a daily basis to the UPTH Reference and other Laboratories across the South -South. The core of our COVID -19 mitigation strategy is to test aggressively, isolate, treat and conduct robust contacts tracing.
“It is also now apparent we are dealing with community transmission. We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure we have our own Molecular laboratory in the State following the donation of a brand-new RT -PCR Machine by the SHELL Joint Partners to the state.
“We have also commenced active health facility and community case search for any case of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) in our hospitals and communities respectively to have a sentinel insight into the importation and possible community transmission of COVID -19.”
