Coronavirus: Benue won’t succumb to victim’s threat
Benue State government has maintained its stand on naming Susan Okpe as the first carrier of coronavirus in the state despite her resistance of the result from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The deputy governor and chairman of the COVID-19 surveillance team in Benue State, Engr. Benson Abounu, who made the declaration while giving an update of the virus, explained that Susan Okpe came from the United Kingdom for the burial of her mother.
According to Abounu, Susan on arrival held a meeting with members of the burial committee before reporting herself to the Grace Cottage hospital in Makurdi on Tuesday last week when she had fever and difficulty in breathing.
The deputy governor stated that on Thursday last week, her blood sample was taken and sent to the NCDC in Abuja and on Saturday morning, two suspected results sent to the governor showed that Susan Okpe was positive while one other was negative.
“The surveillance committee quickly moved to the cottage hospital to transfer Susan to the Benue State Univeersity Teaching Hospital. She resisted till 2pm that she didn’t believe in the result sent by NCDC,” the deputy governor said.
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The surveillance committee chairman disclosed that pressure was mounted on Susan from 7pm and following intervention by two of her relations, including Professor Stephen Abba from the NCDC, she agreed by 9pm and moved to university teaching hospital where she is been quarantined.
Engineer Abounu stated that the second blood sample of Susan will be sent to Abuja and if tested negative, she will be allowed to mingle with members of the public, noting that the decision to disclose the virus status of Susan was in her interest, that of her family and the state at large.
In his remarks, Prof. Stephen Abba from the NCDC Abuja, said Federal Government is concerned with the fact that all citizens in the country are COVID-19 free.
