From SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Borno State has recorded the first death from a COVID-19 patient who tested positive two weeks ago.
The deceased, who is a retired Anesthetic Nurse, died on admission at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) on Saturday, making the first COVID-19 death also to be recorded in the UMTH, Maiduguri.
According to a reliable source working in the hospital ,”the deceased , Babanguda Buba Gombe was admitted in Medical Ward III last week and died under suspicious circumstances which led to a test to be conducted on his corpse and the result of the test carried out on the corpse came back with positive for COVID-19.
“The bad thing is that he had contact with several health workers both within and outside the UMTH. He was brought from Pulka to UMTH by two nurses which are also now at risk together with their families.
“Last night, after his demise, female friends, relatives and other mourners gathered in his house to visit his family members who can be classified as direct contact to the deceased.
“And the worst of all is that he was staying in USUMH staff quarters which is within the hospital premises, thereby exposing more health workers and patients as well,”.
It was confirmed that the deceased, who is a retired anesthetic nurse, died at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital on Saturday.
This has already sent fear and grief to.many residents of the Maiduguri city, the state capital and Pulls town axis where the deceased started illness and was rushed to UMTH Maiduguri by the MSF which he was working with and in Pulls in assignment.
It was further gathered that the deceased for over two weeks, was having symptoms of the disease but he could not disclose to anybody, neither did anybody know where he picked the disease from and related or interacted widely with IDPs, his colleagues, friends, relations, families and even health workers at Pulka and in UMTH.
The situation has already generated lot of concern since Saturday despite the Denise if the COS to the President, Abba Kyatis as the Chairman if the High Powered Committee on Prevention and Control if the Spread if COVID-19 in Borno State, Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Umar Kadafur has immediately today Sunday morning summoned an emergency meeting of the committee members and other collaborating partners including the MSF, OCHA, Red Cross,UNICEF, UNHCR, and BSPHCDA among others for crucial discussions on the matter.
It is expected that the committee and other partners were putting heads together to contain the situation and ensure the virus did.not.spread to other places the deceased must have visited or interacted.
All officials that are to comment on the issue authoritatively, the Chairman and Secretary of the COVID-19 Response High Powered Team, have declined to speak in the matter as at the time of going to the press but may be, the committee may speak to the press afterwards.
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