3,000 volunteers to join Covid-19 fight in Sokoto

Over 3,000 volunteers have shown interest to participate in the fight against COVID-19 in Sokoto  as the state government approves the mobilisation of more medical personnel to assist in the response. Chairman of the state Taskforce Committee on Covid-19, and Commissioner for Health, Dr Muhammadu Ali Inname disclosed this while speaking on the pandemic. “We […]

Over 3,000 volunteers have shown interest to participate in the fight against COVID-19 in Sokoto  as the state government approves the mobilisation of more medical personnel to assist in the response.

Chairman of the state Taskforce Committee on Covid-19, and Commissioner for Health, Dr Muhammadu Ali Inname disclosed this while speaking on the pandemic.

“We are going to use the volunteers in contact tracing and other activities such as sensitization.If there are doctors and nurses among them we will use them in the treatment,” he stated.

According to him, so far 54 tests had been carried out while the task force was  tracing about 107 contacts of confirmed cases in the state.

He added that the  committee was mulling use of Giginya Hotel and Shukura Hotel as isolation contact tracing premises.

“The state government now have 50- bed capacity at the isolation centre in Amanawa in addition to 30-bed capacity at Murtala Muhammad Hospital donated by the Medicins Sans Frontieres and 6- bed capacity at UDUTH, Sokoto,” he said.

He lauded  the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto for the  provision of  a 20- bed capacity at their Gidan Dare Clinic  Isolation Centre and 30- bed Hotel  accommodation at Aliyu Jodi Road.

The Commissioner said Sokoto had commenced COVID-19 testing as the NCDC on April 22, established a laboratory at the Usman Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH).

It  is currently carrying out tests on suspected patients from Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states,he added.

The Sokoto Taskforce chairman also  disclosed  plans  to establish another laboratory.

He said the governor had approved the procurement of 250  hand washing machines to be distributed to public places.

Inname added that each of the the 23 local government areas in the state would get 20 of such hand washing machines.