Akwa Ibom State covid-19 Incident Management Committee has discharged 26 persons confirmed to have recovered fully from the virus.
The state has also recorded one new case from the last 45 samples tested, an indication that the state is at the verge of winning the battle against the pandemic.
Announcing this at the Ibom Specialist Hospital, Uyo, on Saturday, Special Adviser to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Health Matters and the immediate-past Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, said the state had so far treated and discharged over 200 patients.
Ukpong, who hinted that over 1,300 persons had been tested, said the state had also followed up 1,053 contact cases, out of which 900 had been duly discharged.
He, however, announced that eight persons died due to other underlying health issues, such as hypertension and other respiratory challenges.
He applauded Governor Emmanuel who, he said, had shown remarkable interest in those affected by COVID-19 in the state.
His words: “I want to thank Governor Udom Emmanuel for his passion for the health of Akwa Ibom citizens. He spends time with the incident management team every night to talk about the welfare of patients. Not one day has ever come to pass without his care.”
Ukpong, who warned the recovered persons against re-infection, warned that there was a possibility of an infected person who had been treated and discharged to be re-infected.
“Do not take chances. Wear your face mask after face shield, the face shield is not a suitable replacement for a mask,” he advised.
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Also speaking, the new Commissioner for Health, Prof Augustine Vincent Umoh, assured that the state could overcome COVID-19, only if everyone would cautiously follow the precautionary measures to protect themselves.
“We consider it another remarkable and happy day for the government and the people of the state. We can overcome COVID-19 by applying all that we have been advised to do,” he said.
He applauded the health workers who had been involved in COVID-19 response and the state government for providing every necessary assistance to drive the fight.
On his part, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ini Ememobong, advised Akwa Ibom people, especially as the state was fully reopening its economy and schools to remain cautious and assist the children who were returning to school to imbibe the culture of safety.
“As we are reopening the economy and schools for exit classes, we must be individually responsible. Parents must help their children to understand the situation at hand.
“The facemask is inconveniencing, but we must wear it. Remember that an increased number of patients would also drain our state’s resources that would have gone into infrastructure. So, the easiest form of treatment is prevention,” he said.
One of the recovered persons, Princess Mfonobong Ekanem, said she was one of those who did not believe in the existence of COVID-19.
She, however, commended the Akwa Ibom State government for the remarkable care given to those in isolation.
“God used me to prove to other doubting Thomases that Covid-19 is real. Everyone should please stay safe, take the basic preventive measures. Do not ignore symptoms,” she advised.
