JUST IN: Journalist, Pastor, Americana, 16 Other New Cases within 12 Days contract COVID-19 in Ondo
By Tunde Olorungbotemi
A journalist and a medical worker and other 17 have contracted the COVID-19 infection in Ondo state.
The two individuals are part of the nineteen persons who contracted the disease in the State in the last twelve days.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu disclosed this at a weekly press briefing at the government house in Akure.
The journalist is the 32nd confirmed case in the state.
He is a male journalist aged 33 years who resides at Ore, Odigbo Local government area of the state.
Read the full address of Governor Akeredolu :
As you are aware, Ondo state has recorded a total number of 19 new active cases of COVID-19 in the last 12 days. This is against the 24 cases announced as at 27th May when I addressed you. These additional 19 new cases add up to make a total of 43 cases as at this morning.
This figure is a significant rise from where we were. It is also fearful and alarming. From what we have seen so far and with other details available and reported, the trend and pattern of the rise are exponential and pose real danger and threats than ever before.
Let me provide you details of the individual cases in order to emphasise the size, shape and seriousness of our challenges.
The 25th confirmed case is a business man aged 60 years, who resides at Uso community, Owo LGA. He reported not to have any travel history, and presented with fever, sore throat, cough and difficulty in breathing.
The 26th confirmed case, a male is an American citizen of Akure origin who resided at Shagari, Akure South LGA. He came home visiting the family and was caught up in Nigeria by the lockdown due to the Pandemic.
Having been home for not less than 2 months, he fell ill sometime last week showing symptoms of COVID-19. He was immediately taken to the hospital where he was referred to the UNIMEDTH Ondo for further examination.
His sample was taken to confirm his COVID-19 status. He died before his result came.
The 27th confirmed case, who is male, aged 59 years, is a trader that resided at Ore, Odigbo LGA. He had no travel history but had developed COVID – 19 symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. His samples were collected but he died before the result of his test which eventually came out positive.
The 28th confirmed case, aged 48 years is a business woman who resides at Ore, Odigbo LGA. She reported not to have any travel history outside Ondo State. She also presented with fever and difficulty in breathing.
The 29th, 30th and 31st confirmed cases are female. They all reside at Oke-Iya, Akure South LGA.
They were among the 5 contacts of the 23rd confirmed case who were followed up for 14 days and tested positive.
The 32nd confirmed case is a male journalist aged 33 years who resides at Ore, Odigbo LGA. He is a contact of the 28th confirmed case, and developed fever. His samples were collected and later returned positive today.
The 33rd confirmed case a male, aged 30 years, is a civil servant who resides at Idepe, Okitipupa LGA. He had no travel history, but had difficulty in breathing.
The 34th and 35th confirmed cases were the contacts of the 26th confirmed case from Akure township. The 34th case, aged 54 years is a female healthcare worker who works in a private facility and presented with runny nose. The 35th case, also a female aged 69 years, is a trader who presented with headache. They both tested positive.
The 36th confirmed case is a clergyman aged 59 years who resided at Ondo, Ondo West LGA. He had travel history to Lagos where he developed difficulty in breathing. He returned to Akure and died while receiving medical attention at Infectious Disease Hospital, Akure.
The 37th confirmed case, a male aged 42 years, is a trader who resides at Ondo, Ondo West LGA. He had no travel history but developed fever, cough and diarrhoea. His samples were collected and he died before arrival of the test result.
The 38th confirmed case, a female nurse aged 24 years, is a private practitioner residing at Alagbaka, Akure South LGA. She has no travel history. Her samples were collected and returned positive.
The 39th confirmed case, a female aged 58 years is the wife of the 36th confirmed case residing in Ondo, Ondo West LGA.
The 40th confirmed case, A male artisan aged 75 years, resides in Okitipupa town and had no travel history.
The 41st confirmed case is a female trader who was confirmed positive in Imo State, escaped isolation and was tracked to Oja-Oba market Akure, Akure South LGA where she sells fairly used fabrics and shoes.
The 42nd confirmed case, also a male aged 45 years, is an Artisan who resides in Akure town.
The 43rd confirmed case, a female aged 72 years, is a home practice nurse who resides in Akure town.
In all, we now have 43 total confirmed cases while the local government areas with confirmed cases are Akure South (22), Odigbo (3), Owo (3), Ose (3), Akure North (2), Ondo West (5), Okitipupa (2), Akoko South East (1), Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo (1), Ifedore (1).
The total cases on admission are 14
Total number of deaths 7
Total discharged cases – 22.
These are out of 568 total cases reported, 663 total samples collected and 655 total lab results received. We are currently following 113 contacts.
What these tell us is that COVID -19 is fully here with us and that community transmission is now a reality.
For avoidance of doubt and to explain the situation in simpler form, community transmission of COVID – 19 simply means the spread of this deadly disease within our communities and within the state from persons to persons.
In other words, it is a spread by people who have come into contact with those who had earlier been infected.
My good people of Ondo state, this record calls for concern.
Indeed, worse days seem to be approaching faster than we probably anticipated. As a people, we must make a choice now, between life and death, between health and wealth and between stability and unhappiness. We must find a balance between our pleasure and daily freedom on the one hand and the survival and self preservation of our society on the other hand.
Achieving the correct balance simply means starting a real combat with COVID -19 and winning the combat in good measure and in good time.
As you know, Government has spent considerable time and energy in implementing the standard global measures of preventing the spread of COVID-19, we activated a guided regulation of market, religious and other social activities.
We even reduced the risks in conduct of Government business by authorising workers from levels 1 to 12 in the state Civil service to stay home except as otherwise required by their respective Chief Executive and Accounting officers. We embarked on massive media education, orientation and mobilisation through the mass media. In all, we asked you, my people, to own this war and drive a community response to the challenge.
Regrettably, it would appear that all these measures put in place by government have not been properly complied with. The threat level remains high while the danger of undesirable eventualities are here with us everyday. We are not out of the woods yet. In other societies where great victories have been won, people believed that COVID-19 is real. They armed themselves with faith and action which were sufficient armour against the mindless onslaught.
These basic protocols that gave them successes were not different from ours, and therefore the end product was not also expected to be different. While other countries are returning to their normal lives, opening their economies, stabilising their social lives and culture, our own case is evidently a clear case of wrong perception, disbelief, neglect, disregard and disdain for extant regulations.
For example, as a key element of social and physical distancing, we had directed that only those selling food and beverage items should operate in the markets on approved.
Yet our people have disobeyed and shown recklessness and total disregard for their own well being. Individuals selling and buying second hand / fairly used dresses, shoes, jewelleries, bags, wrist watches, tyres, cosmetics and other irrelevant items have swarmed upon the markets in groups and crowd thus accelerating the speed and risk of the spread.
Situations like this call for dire, swift and sustained measures. Government will proceed to take all necessary steps to reverse this threat to the people of the state. To this end the following steps have been approved as our invigorated approach to the spread of the pandermic.
All residents are encouraged to practise, more than before, social and physical distancing, use of facemasks, handwashing and travel restriction.
All Premiership football viewing centres are hereby banned from operations until further notice.
All religious organisations are to further ensure stringent implementation of the agreed guidelines for worship.
All our earlier regulations about operations of the main and community markets will be revisited in which case law enforcement agencies and the Governor’s Task Force will ensure full enforcement.
All members of the public who had patronised the fairly used fabric and shoes stalls at Oja Oba market in Akure, where our 43rd case was picked up, are advised in their own interest and for the good of our society, to present themselves to our health facilities for immediate testing and proper care, before it is too late.
I urge you to call on our toll-free numbers so you can get immediate help. There is no shame in illness and there can be no reproach in seeking and getting healing.
Meanwhile, we are also expending more energy and resources in building capacity for our Infectious Disease Hospitals to cope with the challenges. I am happy to inform you that apart from the sustained purchases of equipment and other medical consumables by Government, well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies have also scaled up their interventions to boost our capacities.
Just last week, the state government took delivery of equipment and consumables from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Finally, I wish to thank all our religious leaders for their courage and noble efforts at enforcing the precautionary measures agreed upon before reopening the worship activities. I encourage all of us to be strong in faith and action.
Let us change our attitude to this deadly disease. We need to pull together and control our environment against COVID-19. In other words, if you ask me, can we win the war? My answer to you is yes. Do we have what it takes to win? I believe we do. Will we win? Yes, we will win.
A journalist and a medical worker and other 17 have contracted the COVID-19 infection in Ondo state.
The two individuals are part of the nineteen persons who contracted the disease in the State in the last twelve days.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu disclosed this at a weekly press briefing at the government house in Akure.
The journalist is the 32nd confirmed case in the state.
He is a male journalist aged 33 years who resides at Ore, Odigbo Local government area of the state.
Read the full address of Governor Akeredolu :
As you are aware, Ondo state has recorded a total number of 19 new active cases of COVID-19 in the last 12 days. This is against the 24 cases announced as at 27th May when I addressed you. These additional 19 new cases add up to make a total of 43 cases as at this morning.
This figure is a significant rise from where we were. It is also fearful and alarming. From what we have seen so far and with other details available and reported, the trend and pattern of the rise are exponential and pose real danger and threats than ever before.
Let me provide you details of the individual cases in order to emphasise the size, shape and seriousness of our challenges.
The 25th confirmed case is a business man aged 60 years, who resides at Uso community, Owo LGA. He reported not to have any travel history, and presented with fever, sore throat, cough and difficulty in breathing.
The 26th confirmed case, a male is an American citizen of Akure origin who resided at Shagari, Akure South LGA. He came home visiting the family and was caught up in Nigeria by the lockdown due to the Pandemic.
Having been home for not less than 2 months, he fell ill sometime last week showing symptoms of COVID-19. He was immediately taken to the hospital where he was referred to the UNIMEDTH Ondo for further examination.
His sample was taken to confirm his COVID-19 status. He died before his result came.
The 27th confirmed case, who is male, aged 59 years, is a trader that resided at Ore, Odigbo LGA. He had no travel history but had developed COVID – 19 symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. His samples were collected but he died before the result of his test which eventually came out positive.
The 28th confirmed case, aged 48 years is a business woman who resides at Ore, Odigbo LGA. She reported not to have any travel history outside Ondo State. She also presented with fever and difficulty in breathing.
The 29th, 30th and 31st confirmed cases are female. They all reside at Oke-Iya, Akure South LGA.
They were among the 5 contacts of the 23rd confirmed case who were followed up for 14 days and tested positive.
The 32nd confirmed case is a male journalist aged 33 years who resides at Ore, Odigbo LGA. He is a contact of the 28th confirmed case, and developed fever. His samples were collected and later returned positive today.
The 33rd confirmed case a male, aged 30 years, is a civil servant who resides at Idepe, Okitipupa LGA. He had no travel history, but had difficulty in breathing.
The 34th and 35th confirmed cases were the contacts of the 26th confirmed case from Akure township. The 34th case, aged 54 years is a female healthcare worker who works in a private facility and presented with runny nose. The 35th case, also a female aged 69 years, is a trader who presented with headache. They both tested positive.
The 36th confirmed case is a clergyman aged 59 years who resided at Ondo, Ondo West LGA. He had travel history to Lagos where he developed difficulty in breathing. He returned to Akure and died while receiving medical attention at Infectious Disease Hospital, Akure.
The 37th confirmed case, a male aged 42 years, is a trader who resides at Ondo, Ondo West LGA. He had no travel history but developed fever, cough and diarrhoea. His samples were collected and he died before arrival of the test result.
The 38th confirmed case, a female nurse aged 24 years, is a private practitioner residing at Alagbaka, Akure South LGA. She has no travel history. Her samples were collected and returned positive.
The 39th confirmed case, a female aged 58 years is the wife of the 36th confirmed case residing in Ondo, Ondo West LGA.
The 40th confirmed case, A male artisan aged 75 years, resides in Okitipupa town and had no travel history.
The 41st confirmed case is a female trader who was confirmed positive in Imo State, escaped isolation and was tracked to Oja-Oba market Akure, Akure South LGA where she sells fairly used fabrics and shoes.
The 42nd confirmed case, also a male aged 45 years, is an Artisan who resides in Akure town.
The 43rd confirmed case, a female aged 72 years, is a home practice nurse who resides in Akure town.
In all, we now have 43 total confirmed cases while the local government areas with confirmed cases are Akure South (22), Odigbo (3), Owo (3), Ose (3), Akure North (2), Ondo West (5), Okitipupa (2), Akoko South East (1), Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo (1), Ifedore (1).
The total cases on admission are 14
Total number of deaths 7
Total discharged cases – 22.
These are out of 568 total cases reported, 663 total samples collected and 655 total lab results received. We are currently following 113 contacts.
What these tell us is that COVID -19 is fully here with us and that community transmission is now a reality.
For avoidance of doubt and to explain the situation in simpler form, community transmission of COVID – 19 simply means the spread of this deadly disease within our communities and within the state from persons to persons.
In other words, it is a spread by people who have come into contact with those who had earlier been infected.
My good people of Ondo state, this record calls for concern.
Indeed, worse days seem to be approaching faster than we probably anticipated. As a people, we must make a choice now, between life and death, between health and wealth and between stability and unhappiness. We must find a balance between our pleasure and daily freedom on the one hand and the survival and self preservation of our society on the other hand.
Achieving the correct balance simply means starting a real combat with COVID -19 and winning the combat in good measure and in good time.
As you know, Government has spent considerable time and energy in implementing the standard global measures of preventing the spread of COVID-19, we activated a guided regulation of market, religious and other social activities.
We even reduced the risks in conduct of Government business by authorising workers from levels 1 to 12 in the state Civil service to stay home except as otherwise required by their respective Chief Executive and Accounting officers. We embarked on massive media education, orientation and mobilisation through the mass media. In all, we asked you, my people, to own this war and drive a community response to the challenge.
Regrettably, it would appear that all these measures put in place by government have not been properly complied with. The threat level remains high while the danger of undesirable eventualities are here with us everyday. We are not out of the woods yet. In other societies where great victories have been won, people believed that COVID-19 is real. They armed themselves with faith and action which were sufficient armour against the mindless onslaught.
These basic protocols that gave them successes were not different from ours, and therefore the end product was not also expected to be different. While other countries are returning to their normal lives, opening their economies, stabilising their social lives and culture, our own case is evidently a clear case of wrong perception, disbelief, neglect, disregard and disdain for extant regulations.
For example, as a key element of social and physical distancing, we had directed that only those selling food and beverage items should operate in the markets on approved.
Yet our people have disobeyed and shown recklessness and total disregard for their own well being. Individuals selling and buying second hand / fairly used dresses, shoes, jewelleries, bags, wrist watches, tyres, cosmetics and other irrelevant items have swarmed upon the markets in groups and crowd thus accelerating the speed and risk of the spread.
Situations like this call for dire, swift and sustained measures. Government will proceed to take all necessary steps to reverse this threat to the people of the state. To this end the following steps have been approved as our invigorated approach to the spread of the pandermic.
All residents are encouraged to practise, more than before, social and physical distancing, use of facemasks, handwashing and travel restriction.
All Premiership football viewing centres are hereby banned from operations until further notice.
All religious organisations are to further ensure stringent implementation of the agreed guidelines for worship.
All our earlier regulations about operations of the main and community markets will be revisited in which case law enforcement agencies and the Governor’s Task Force will ensure full enforcement.
All members of the public who had patronised the fairly used fabric and shoes stalls at Oja Oba market in Akure, where our 43rd case was picked up, are advised in their own interest and for the good of our society, to present themselves to our health facilities for immediate testing and proper care, before it is too late.
I urge you to call on our toll-free numbers so you can get immediate help. There is no shame in illness and there can be no reproach in seeking and getting healing.
Meanwhile, we are also expending more energy and resources in building capacity for our Infectious Disease Hospitals to cope with the challenges. I am happy to inform you that apart from the sustained purchases of equipment and other medical consumables by Government, well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies have also scaled up their interventions to boost our capacities.
Just last week, the state government took delivery of equipment and consumables from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Finally, I wish to thank all our religious leaders for their courage and noble efforts at enforcing the precautionary measures agreed upon before reopening the worship activities. I encourage all of us to be strong in faith and action.
Let us change our attitude to this deadly disease. We need to pull together and control our environment against COVID-19. In other words, if you ask me, can we win the war? My answer to you is yes. Do we have what it takes to win? I believe we do. Will we win? Yes, we will win.
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