Coronavirus: Over 40 Nigerian health workers test positive – Minister

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has said about 40 health workers in Nigeria have so far tested positive for COVID-19.

Ehanire made this known at the daily Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing on Thursday.

He cautioned health workers to ensure safety precautions are taken when treating any patient.

”This warning has become necessary due of the number of health workers who have tested positive for COVID-19, They are over forty now.

He said apart from the over 40 health workers, there are 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.”

The Federal Government had earlier barred private hospitals from treating COVID-19 cases, saying many of the health workers there are not trained to handle such a disease.

At least 17 private hospitals in Lagos have admitted that their staff have been exposed to COVID-19 through patients.

The hospitals were subsequently bared from admitting any patients while their buildings are disinfected.

The Federal Government has now asked private hospitals willing to treat COVID-19 patients to register with their state’s health ministry and ensure proper training of staff.

Nigeria currently has 873 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of these, 197 infected people have recovered and have been discharged while the death toll is 28.

Healthcare workers are at risk of exposure to COVID-19 virus as they are the first responders to patients.

It would be recalled that on April 4, Aliyu Yakubu, a medical doctor aged 60, died at the Nigeria Air Force Reference Hospital, Daura, Katsina State, after contracting the deadly virus. A week later, his wife and children tested positive for COVID-19.

Due to their vulnerability to this disease, health workers have been advised to take extra precautions in handling suspected cases.

Earlier, some health workers working at isolation centres across affected states expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of necessary insurance and other welfare policies despite the risk involved in their profession.

The Minister, however assured that the government will continue to provide health workers with necessary personal protective equipment (PPE).

He advised that no patient should be treated without adequate PPE. He urged health workers to take all necessary precautions for their own safety.

”The government will continue to provide you with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE).

”I urge you to take all the necessary precautions for your own safety,” he said.