By Timothy Ojo
More than 40 health workers in Nigeria have tested positive to COVId-19, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, revealed this on Thursday during the Presidential Task Force (PTF) briefing on the coronavirus pandemic.
Apart from the 40 health workers who tested positive for the novel virus, the Minister also disclosed that there were others “who have been quarantined in the last two weeks due to exposure and have not been able to contribute to efforts of the health sector,”
According to Ehanire, some of these health workers were exposed to the virus while on duty. Apart from the government striving very hard to protect health workers on the frontline, the Minister also advised them to take extra precaution to shield themselves from getting infected.
It would be recalled at least 17 private hospitals in Lagos have admitted that their staff had been exposed to COVID-19 through patients. This situation forced several of them, especially in Lagos, to shut down to allow for decontamination.
The scary development led the Federal Government to bar private hospitals from treating COVID-19 cases, saying that many of the workers were not adequately trained to tackle the disease.
However, the government rescinded its decision later and declared that private hospitals willing to treat COVID-19 patients should connect with their respective state’s health ministry to be duly registered and have their staff trained.
As at the time of filing this report, Nigeria has 981 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 197 discharged already and 31 deaths.