Following the fourth wave and a new variant of Covid-19 in the country, state governments have intensified preparations of isolation centres in readiness for possible admission of patients as cases of the virus continue to rise in the country.
According to Punch, Officials of states including Ogun, Gombe, Benue, Lagos, Ondo and Sokoto, stated that enough bed spaces are available to admit Covid-19 patients.
This is as Covid-19 infections hit 236, 014 while the rate of full vaccination was stalled at 3.9 percent as of Saturday, 25 December, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
NCDC stated that on Saturday alone, 21 persons died of Covid-19 complications bringing the fatality toll across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to 3,014.
Amidst the surging cases, the Ogun State Government said it had no fewer than 260 bed spaces in the four isolation centres in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, said there was no need for more beds over the rising cases of Covid-19.
She said “Ogun State has 260 isolation beds; four isolation centres. No no need for more beds.”
Coker said the state was not charging any fee for Covid-19 tests. She however said N39,000 was being charged by private laboratories in the state.
Benue State has 100 bed spaces. The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Professor Joseph Ngbea, who disclosed this added that there were 50 beds “as back up” in case of an upsurge of the dreaded disease.
The commissioner further said that there were two functional isolation centres in the state, one at the Federal Medical Centre and another at Benue State University Teaching Hospital all located in Makurdi, the capital city.
The commissioner said there were other isolation centres across the state, which had not been put to use.
Ngbea said, “At the inception of the case (COVID 19), we had 100 bed spaces but when I became commissioner, we added 50 beds as backup.”
Meanwhile, the Delta State government is yet to open its isolation centres in the state despite the increasing cases of the pandemic.
Out of the six isolation centers in the state, it was gathered that only the one at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba was operational, but it charged over N100,000 for the treatment Covid-19. Other at Oghara, Warri, Ugheli and Eku are yet to be opened.
The Gombe State Commissioner for Health, Dr Habu Dahiru, said the state has over 600 bed spaces in the five isolation centres in the state.
Also, the Ondo State government said it had no plan to expand its isolation centres across the state.
The Ondo State Epidemiologist, Dr Stephen Fagbemi, said the state had four isolation centres to accommodate patients but none of the centres has been occupied.
Fagbemi said, “The state had no plan to expand its isolation centres because currently we have four centres across the state and we have not used up to 20 percent of the facilities.”
On his part, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed that six percent of the state’s Covid-19 isolation facilities were in use.
The commissioner, on his Instagram handle, @profakinabayomi, on Saturday, said the total bed capacity of the state’s isolation facilities was at 572, adding that 537 bed spaces were still available as of December 24.
He said there was 13 percent of the 160-bed facility at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, as well as 50 percent of the 20-bed Armour isolation facility and 38 percent of the 13 Palaon isolation centres had been used.
Abayomi also said the occupancy at the 25-bed isolation facility at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja was two percent while the occupancy at the 110-bed isolation facility at Gbagada was also two percent.
Currently, there are two isolation centres in Sokoto State; the Amanawa Leprosy Centre and the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital.
The Amanawa isolation centre has 100 bed spaces hospital while the UDUTH centre has 40 bed spaces.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Ali Inname, who disclosed this noted that emphasis should be on vaccination as the world had moved away from isolating Covid-19 patients.
Recall that the Presidential Steering Committee led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, had directed that federal workers who had not taken the jab would not be given access to their offices with effect from December 1, 2021.
The PSC had stated that Federal Government workers without proof of vaccination or test results done within 72 hours would be denied access to their offices starting from December 1. The committee had further stated that the directive would be applicable in all locations in Nigeria and missions abroad.
The Office of the Head of Service had nearly four weeks ago begun enforcing the directive by denying civil servants and visitors who did not possess vaccine cards, access to the federal secretariat in Abuja.
Despite the increasing cases, security agencies have failed to enforce the compulsory vaccination mandate for their personnel.
It was learnt that security agencies merely advised their personnel to get vaccinated but did not impose a deadline thereby making the directive optional.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said police personnel were taking the vaccines voluntarily, noting that the police management was satisfied with the level of compliance.
Mba further said that all police hospitals and medical centres had been designated Covid-19 vaccination centres to boost the vaccination drive of the government.
The Director, Defence Information, Air Commodore, Wap Maigida said, “Everyone in the military has been mandated to take their vaccine. We have not fixed a deadline for now.”
When asked about the level of compliance to the government directive, the FRSC Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, said the corps personnel was taking the vaccine, but he was unsure about the enforcement of the vaccine mandate by the corps authorities.
The National Public Relations Officer, Nigerian Correctional Service, Francis Enobore, a Deputy Controller of Corrections, explained that the CG of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, had issued a circular to all formations on compulsory vaccination for all NCoS personnel, adding that a deadline had yet to be given on the issue.
The Nigerian Customs Service said it had directed its staff to take the COVID-19 vaccines but failed to disclose the deadline given for the implementation of this mandate.
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