Residents living in Edo State are to undergo Coronavirus (COVID-19) screening as part of measure to halt the outbreak of the disease in the State.

The State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, said a total of 4,218 medical personnel are already undergoing basic training to contain the emerging trends to administer healthcare to about 5 million population in the State, according to the Wikipedia in 2014.

He said this at a press briefing on Monday in Benin City where he disclosed that the personnel were drawn across the 18 Local Government Areas of the State.

Shaibu revealed that the State government has 25 ventilators at the ready, but we have made orders for more ventilators and expect their delivery very soon.

“They (health personnel) would be undergoing Train-the-Trainers (ToT) sessions, after which they will go back to their respective facilities to train their colleagues. The health workers are drawn from private, state and federal government medical centres.”

According to him, “The Edo State Government has embarked on training of a total of 4,218 medical personnel drawn from the 18 Local Government Areas of the state in the first instance. These persons already have basic training for handling crisis, but their skill-level needs to be updated to contain the emerging trends.

“They would be undergoing Train-the-Trainers (ToT) sessions, after which they will go back to their respective facilities to train their colleagues. The health workers are drawn from private, state and federal government medical centres.”

He noted that the state was ramping up medical supplies to tackle the pandemic, especially the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which would ensure that any health worker who would be on the frontline during the outbreak would be equipped with complete kits to protect themselves.

He added, “We are also working to increase the number of ventilators and other equipment necessary for isolation of cases, while we work towards containing the outbreak.

“The Edo State Government will commence massive screening and testing for coronavirus in order to get a statistical sense of how widespread the virus is in the state to ensure effective planning and containment efforts.”

 “The enlarged Edo State Response Committee on COVID-19 would continue to meet virtually every day to monitor and manage the State’s response to the pandemic.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Coordinator in Edo State, Mrs. Faith Ireye said for the two confirmed cases in the State, 71 contacts are listed as the government looks inward to keep over list rather under list.

She said 13 persons have been identified with their samples taken to Irrua Specialist Hospital for testing.

“For those who returned from abroad, over 36 persons were on self-isolation and completed their 14 days and now we are following up with 46 others.

She stated that social distancing is important, we should work together to keep the State safe for us all.

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