COVID-19: We are Fully Prepared, Says Health Commissioner, Betta Edu

Ike Uchechukwu, Calabar

The Cross River Commissioner for health, Dr Betta Edu has restated the state’s preparedness to tackle Coronavirus if it eventually gets to the state.

She gave the assurance while briefing newsmen at the weekend in Calabar, adding that they know Cross River was a cosmopolitan state but every necessary mechanism has been put in place to contain and control any case or incidence of Convid-19 if the need arises.

Edu said they were aware that lot of people were coming in from Southern Cameroons into the State but she assured that they have mounted surveillance on all its borders including parks, airport, seaports and jetties.

Her words: “Our borders across the State are presently being monitored by security operatives as well as medical experts.

“This is beyond politics, it is the life of Nigerians, so everyone should work with us. In the creeks, we have some security challenges but the security operatives are working with us with a view to ensuring that our people are sensitised on how to prevent the disease.

“We have a permanent isolation centre at the UCTH, newly built and a completely isolated area .”We have other temporal ones at the General Hospital Ogoja and Calabar.

“We are currently carrying out sensitization in all our local government areas, army, and other security agencies we have people in the LGAs and PHCs and our channels of communication are open 24/7.

“Governor Ayade, is living no stone, unturned, and has provided two facilities, one, at the Ogoja General Hospital and two, at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), to Quarantine any suspected person while waiting for blood sample taken for test.

“There is solid collaboration between all stakeholders coordinating with the Supervisory Ministry of Health uptil the EOC.

“I want to laud the Army, FAAN and NPA Health Departments for their cooperation and the Federal Ministry of Health,” she said.

—Vanguard