Ekiti directs hospitals to conduct COVID-19 test on patients with fever, cough

Ekiti State Government has directed private and public hospitals in the state to run COVID-19 test on all patients with fever, cough and catarrh.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, who made this known in a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, said the move is part of efforts to curtail the spread of the virus in the State.

Filani stressed the symptoms of the current wave of Covid-19 are similar to some common diseases such as malaria and respiratory tract infection, hence, the need for patients to undergo COVID-19 to ascertain their status.

He instructed all health facilities in the State to contact their respective Local Government Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (LGDSNO) for modalities to conduct the test on their patients.

The Commissioner solicited the support of all stakeholders towards wading off the virus, emphasizing the need for the general public to cooperate with healthcare providers to achieve the desired goal.

He warned the government would not hesitate to sanction any hospital that fails to comply with the government’s directive.