Thirteen health workers at the Kwara State General Hospital, Ilorin are amongst the twenty three new cases recorded for Kwara.
The Government had on Monday said the state recorded 23 new cases of the novel coronavirus bringing the total number of infections to 111.
THE INFORMANT247 learnt seven doctors, four nurses, and two ward attendant were infected, thereby rising the already high tension among other workers.
A top source told our correspondent that the hospital is the new epicentre of the disease in the state, and that transmission may have been established amongst the health workers in the hospital as a result of non adherence to safety protocols, and non availability and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).
The source said, “From Monday’s results, 13 additional General Hospital Ilorin staff test positive for COVID-19. 7 Doctors, 4 Nurses, 2 Attendants. More test results are being awaited.”
THE INFORMANT247 had earlier reported that seven health workers of the Kwara State General Hospital, Ilorin tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The staffers inlcudes two doctors, four nurses and a ward attendant were infected.
This brings the total number of infected health officials at the facility to 20; 9 doctors, 4 nurses and 2 ward attendant.
Meanwhile, nurses at the hospital have insisted on the closure of the entire facility until further notice.
An official of the hospital who pleaded anonymity said, “This agitation and request has been rebuffed by officials of the Hospital Management Bureau and State Ministry of Health who are worried about the embarrassment this would cause the State Government.”
Several efforts to reach the Director General, Kwara State Hospital Management Bureau, Ladi Saad, proved abortive.
Meanwhile, the Government, in a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the sudden peak in the number of COVID-19 cases on Monday followed a deliberate effort of the committee to contact-trace and test all persons and health workers that have had contacts with two persons that recently sneaked into the state and tested positive to the virus.
It said that all but one of the 23 new cases posted on Monday — the highest in a day since the outbreak — were already in isolation before the test result as they had long been identified as “persons of interest” on account of their close contacts with a pregnant woman who sneaked in from Zamfara and later tested positive.
It added that the woman was briefly treated at the Ilorin General Hospital and later at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital where she underwent an operation and later tested positive, leading to contact tracing and testing of over 180 people.
The statement read in part, “Various precautionary measures have since been taken at the two hospitals, including disinfection of relevant wards, relocation of other patients to some other wards, testing of all the contacts, and a renewed emphasis on the need for healthcare workers to treat every patient as a potential COVID-19 case.”
“For the record, the rise in the cases was a result of government’s proactiveness in rounding up all contacts and testing all of them. Insinuations about the lack of PPEs or shortage of same are unfounded and reckless.”