Bauchi deputy governor, Senator Tela addresses the press on COVID-19
By Abbas Gungura, Bauchi
In continuation of efforts to get ride of threat of COVID-19 in Bauchi State, the Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela has appealed to the Federal Ministry of Health to come to aid of the state.
The deputy governor is also the Chairman of the Special Task Force against COVID-19.
He made the request during a press briefing at the weekend.
Senator Tela said although the North East Development Commission has pledged to support the state with some intervention to fight virus the state is still calling on the federal government for financial support to enable them contain the spread in the state.
“We are appealing to the Federal government to support us; the North East Development Commission has also mulls possible support.
“Please let them hasten up with the support to enable us prepare well for the scourge of this pandemic”, he said.
Tela also said the state government has converted some section of Bayara General Hospital, Bauchi as treatment centre for those who developed mild symptoms of the virus.
“In the next 24 hours, the state government will make available 150 beds spaces where patients who might develop mild symptoms will be housed and treated.
“we have also provided additional 85 bed spaces at Teaching Hospital Bauchi were severe cases will be treated.
The deputy governor also debunked media reports that a patient who tested positive for the virus has escaped the isolation centre at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital.
“The patient has not escaped as erroneously reported. He is still under our management”, he said.
The deputy governor also unfolded that United Bank for Africa ( UBA) has donated some “substantial amount of money” to the state government as part of their corporate social responsibility to confront the virus. According to him “we will not disclose how much the Bank has given us, because we don’t want to discourage other banks or people from offering”.
Tela said the closure of markets and restriction of large gathering still applies, calling on people to respect the order otherwise the state government will be force to take hard decisions for failure to comply with the directives of government which was done in good faith to protect the spread of the terror virus in the state. Earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aliyu Maigoro while updating the press on the situation of the virus in Bauchi said so far, no one has tested positive apart from the two confirmed cases.
He said the state governor has yet to develop symptoms of the virus and is reportedly doing well and sound.
The commissioner expressed dissatisfaction with a report published in one of the daily news papers that one of the confirmed persons has refused admission discribing the report as baseless and unfounded delibrately cooked to cause confution in the state.
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