Cross River State remains the only state in Nigeria yet to record any case of the novel coronavirus as Kogi State which held the same record with the state fell on Wednesday, according to report released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The report shows an increase in fatality rate from 249 to 254, while recoveries increased from 2,385 to 2,501.
A total of 8,733 COVID-19 cases have now been confirmed in 35 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).
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Cross River State Has Low Testing Capacity – PTF
Meanwhile, findings from the Presidential Task Force team’s visit to Cross River state shows that the state has low capacity to test for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, findings from the Presidential Task Force team’s visit to Cross River state shows that the state has low capacity to test for COVID-19.
The team, which comprises experts from the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), noted that the state was also grappling with other challenges like inadequate surveillance, dearth of personnel, and other logistical problems.
The PTF said it is in discussions with the state and other stakeholders to find ways to solve those problems.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Adeleke Mamora, who made this known on Wednesday in Abuja, during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said: “Kogi is yet to be visited the second time. But I can say that we have a better understanding with the government of Kogi this time around and we are hoping that when the team visits Kogi, we will have a better report based on better understanding.
“For Cross River, we want to commend the Governor for welcoming the team and for the collaboration that took place and better understanding as well. Essentially, the findings at the end of the visit revolves around issues of security at the border, inadequacy of surveillance system and the low capacity for testing because of dearth of personnel to make this testing possible.
“Of course, what was also observed was that the call centre is probably not what it should be, as it is still being set up as at that point in time. The situation may have changed now.
“There was also the issue of difficulty in shipping test samples from Cross River State to Irrua reference laboratory in Edo state, which is possibly the nearest centre to Calabar. At the end of it all, there were discussions about how to mitigate these gaps and challenges.”
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