The federal government has started the distribution of palliatives to cushion the effects of COVID-19 lockdown – President Buhari had on Monday, April 13, extended the lockdown by another 14 days – Buhari said during his broadcast that his government would provide palliatives for Nigerians to alleviate their suffering In its efforts to cushion the effects of coronavirus lockdown on Nigerians, the federal government has commenced the distribution of palliatives to 600,000 households in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Legit.ng reports that the minister of state for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ramatu Aliyu, flagged off the distribution on Friday, April 17. According to the latest report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), out of the 442 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 13 people including a medical doctor died while 152 patients have recovered from the disease.
Aliyu gave an assurance that the distribution of palliatives would capture all the poor and vulnerable persons in the FCT.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that there was a mild drama in Kaduna state when the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) foiled the escape attempt by a COVID-19 patient from an isolation centre on Thursday, April 16. It was reported that Ekunola Gbenga, the spokesperson of the agency, said the coronavirus patient was captured by a corps assistant identified as Joshua Philip, at the Infectious Disease Control Center, Down Quarters, Kaduna state. The NSCDC spokesperson said in a statement the male patient attempted to leave the isolation center without the permission of doctors for morning prayers. Gbenga noted that the corps assistant confronted the patient who tried to open the gate to escape after he forcefully picked the keys, thereby exposing the NSCDC officer to the disease. In another report, the federal government on Thursday, April 16, issued a warning message to all private hospitals across the country engaging in unauthorised treatment of cases of coronavirus pandemic.
It was reported that the threat was issued by the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, saying that the government would not hesitate to close down private hospitals that engage in unauthorised treatment of COVID-19. The minister warned that the country cannot afford avoidable morbidity and mortality. Ehanire stated that private facilities must obtain accreditation to treat the highly infectious disease; warning that practitioners who engage in unauthorised treatment run the risk of being shut down. He, however, pointed out that the revised case definition for testing includes all patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome; contacts of people confirmed to have COVID-19, with fever and respiratory tract symptoms; and persons with fever and respiratory tract symptoms of unknown cause.
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