COVID-19 Patient Flees From Isolation Centre In Delta, Arrested In Enugu

Following collaboration between Delta and Enugu states Governors, the Rapid Response Task Force on COVID-19 and security agencies in Enugu state, have intercepted a run-away COVID-19 patient from the Delta State Isolation and Treatment Centre.

Prof. Ikechukwu Obi, the state Commissioner for Health, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Enugu.

Obi said the run-away COVID-19 patient was intercepted in the state on Monday by security agencies in active collaboration with the Delta State COVID-19 Task Force.

He said the arrest followed the directive by the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, that the absconded patient be located and returned to the Delta State isolation centre.

“FOLLOWING THE EXECUTIVE ORDER FROM THE THE GOVERNOR THE STATE RAPID RESPONSE TEAM/TASKFORCE ON COVID-19 AND THE STATE’S SECURITY APPARATUS SWUNG TO ACTION.”AND IN A COORDINATED SEQUENCE OF EVENTS WITH THE DELTA STATE COVID 19 TASKFORCE, MOVED SWIFTLY YESTERDAY, DETECTED, CONTAINED AND RETURNED A CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASE WHO HAD ESCAPED FROM AN ISOLATION AND TREATMENT CENTRE IN DELTA STATE TO ENUGU”.

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The commissioner said that contact tracing of those who had contacts with the run-away patient and the decontamination of the places the patient had been to while in Enugu had begun.

He said: “The ministry, therefore, reminds the good people of the state that in times like these, we owe a responsibility to each other to inform relevant authorities when we develop symptoms or know someone who may have symptoms or history of cross boundary travel into the state.

“Consequently, contact tracing and decontamination has commenced immediately.

“For record purposes, total cases ever detected in Enugu State remains 8, with 6 active cases receiving treatment,” the statement added.