Prof. Temitope Alonge, the Chairman, Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force, says the Infectious Diseases Centre in Olodo, Ibadan, currently being used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, will transform to accommodating other forms of infectious diseases.
Alonge made this known to the phenomenal on Saturday in Ibadan.
According to him, the Infectious Centre is already being upgraded to accommodate other forms of infectious diseases.
“We are hoping that when the incidence of COVID-19 goes down, it will be reserved for all forms of infectious diseases.
“Part of the upgrading is more or less to regig the set up and move everybody to Green Zone.
“With this, the Red Zone will have a section which we classify as Blue Zone, where patients would come in and be observed, while tests are being carried out.
“Later, they will be moved to appropriate ward base on the result of test they carried out,” Alonge said.
In his remarks, Dr Idris Fasasi,
the Chief Medical Director of the centre, said that 25 COVID-19 patients had been admitted and treated at the centre since the beginning of the fourth wave of the pandemic.
Fasasi said that 15 of the patients had been discharged, while 10 others were still receiving treatment at the centre.
He said most of the patients were Omicron infected, adding “not that there is no Delta variant, but Omicron is now more active in the communities.
“Omicron is not as severed as Delta variant that was experienced in the past.”
He said that the challenges of kidney problem faced in the past by COVID-19 patients at the centre had been addressed, “as the centre now has its own dialysis unit.
“What we found out during the third wave was that most of the COVID-19 patients came down with kidney problem.
“As a result of this, we find it difficult to send patient outside for dialysis when such patient needed it.
“This is because most centres would not take such COVID-19 patients, maybe, because of stigmatisation.
“And the bill in the only centre we could referred them to outside Oyo State, probably in Lagos State, was exorbitant.
“So, this centre had gone ahead to have a Dialysis Unit whereby our patients with kidney problem and COVID-19 are now being attended to.
“This has given us succor as we do not need to be looking out for centre with exorbitant fees to do dialysis for our COVID-19 patient with kidney problem again.
“We have done one already and the second COVID-19 patient who has kidney disease and needs dialysis will be done here at no cost to the patients,” he said.
On how to further curb COVID-19 transmission, Fasasi admonished the general public to strictly abide with the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines.
“The first thing we should do is to go for COVID-19 vaccination, either Astrazeneca or other type.
“The protocol in Nigeria is that anyone above 18 years should go and get the vaccine.
Also read;WHO renews appeal for vaccine equity to defeat COVID-19
“Also, we should ensure that we use our nose masks regularly and maintain social distancing – one meter apart, as recommended by World Health Organisation(WHO), so that we can break the chain of transmission of the virus.
“Then, most important is the washing of hands with soap and water; it has been known that washing hands with soap and water will remove the virus from our hands.
“We should prevent ourselves from shaking hands; all these will actually break the chain of transmission of the virus,” he said.
