COVID-19: NCDC DG commends Uzodimma, calls for more tests in Imo

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has commended Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo for being proactive in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

Ihekweazu spoke on Saturday when he inspected facilities on ground for the containment of the coronavirus if detected.

He said his team was in Imo for a firsthand understanding of the structures the state had put in place for the battle against the coronavirus.

He said the aim of the visit was also to advice, identify areas of support and help the state invest its resources well for the protection of Imo people.

Ihekweazu noted that the pandemic had not affected many people from the South-East, an area whose people are known to be travelers.

He, however, said that more people needed to be tested to be certain of their status.

“We are happy that we don’t have a case in Imo and few in the South-East, but to be fully happy, we have to be sure that the system is sensitive enough to detect cases.”

“We encourage that more samples be taken from patients with the symptoms and tested. If all come out negative, then we can be happy and sure of the situation.”

“We will work together for a brighter future, but to get to the brighter future, we must deal with the present and ensure that we win the coronavirus war,” he said.

Uzodimma expressed appreciation for the work the agency was doing for the nation.

He noted that the coronavirus pandemic had made great nations look helpless, expressing satisfaction with the level of work and success recorded by the NCDC in spite the medical and health constraints of the nation.

The governor reaffirmed the need to test more people for the virus and called on the NCDC to establish a test centre in the state to expedite the process of testing the collected samples.

He identified Orlu Teaching Hospital, which he said currently has a 200-bed ultra modern isolation centre and other facilities ready to house a laboratory for COVID-19 test.

The governor pledged his continued reliance on NCDC guidance in execution of programmes in the fight against coronavirus.