Deputy governor calls for calm as Borno records first COVID-19 casualty

Borno State Deputy  Governor and chairman state taskforce on COVID-19, Alhaji Usman Karafur, has appealed to the people of state not to panic but to remain calm as government is on top of the situation, as the state records first death of COVID-19 pandemic.

He said government has since imposed a restriction of movement at all entry points into the state before the ugly incident occurred insisting that the situation is under control.

He used the opportunity to enjoined citizens to abide by the general protocols of hygiene and social distancing, among others, for the prevention of the spread of the dreaded virus that has continued to claim several  globally, even as an aid worker, Babangida Buba, working with Medicins Sans Frontieres, (MSF), has died in Borno State after contracting coronavirus.

MSF Head of Mission (Nigeria), Siham Hajaj, who confirmed the death, said the deceased “died on April 18 and post-mortem test results indicated positive for COVID-19″ adding that “MSF is now supporting the Ministry of Health with contact tracing.”
The deceased was an anaesthetic nurse and was rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) from Pulka in Gwoza local government area, last week when his health condition degenerated before he died on Saturday.
According to deputy governor, there are no restrictions in Maiduguri metropolis for now and that “If there is a need to do so, we will do that but for now, we only have the interstate lock down”.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC), late on Sunday said it had recorded a cumulative total of 627 confirmed cases and 21 deaths – including one in Borno.