COVID- 19: Ebonyi records 33 cases as Umahi laments lack of testing kits
The Ebonyi state government has confirmed an additional 20 new cases of coronavirus disease in the state from May 20 to 24.
Governor David Umahi disclosed this on Sunday, while addressing newsmen on the increase, stating that out of the 33 COVID-19 cases in the state, six persons have been treated and discharged.
Umahi noted that there was no recorded case of community transmission in the state, adding that all the cases were those intercepted at the borders coming from other states.
He reiterated that between April 26 to May 20, the state recorded 13 cases, but that on May 22, nine new cases were recorded, six from Ishielu Local Government Area, two from Ivo Local Government Area and one from Izzi Local Government Area.
“Then on May 23, additional nine cases were recorded in Afikpo North alone, while two cases were recorded on May 24, in Ohaukwu Local Government Area.
“This is very disturbing because if the various inter-state lockdown are observed in other states, then we will not have the problem of these cases,” he maintained.
The governor lamented insufficient testing kits from the NCDC, stating that some of those at the holding centers were being held for 14 days without being tested because of lack of testing kits.
“We are suspecting that some of these people got infected at the holding centers. But, if we have testing kits, as they come we test them after 14 days and if they are negative they go.
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“But, when you keep them for 21days and the thing develops, and you don’t know who has it, then it’s a major problem.
“So the federal government has to do something about this. If you ask us to hold these people and isolate them from the society, we can’t even ask them to go back to their places and isolate.
“Some people are living five in one room in the rural areas, so the best practice is what we are doing by collecting them at the borders as they sneak in and manipulate themselves into the state. Hold them together according to the NCDC policy and then have them tested.
“But, where there are no testing kits, what do we do? Some of them have stayed 21 days, so I think there should be enough testing kits in all the labs so that we can follow the NCDC’ policy.
“And I want to thank Ebonyians for following the NCDC policy religiously, but they can’t manipulate or manufacture the testing kits,” he noted.
