Two septuagenarians die in Ekiti after ‘reporting late for treatment’

 

The Ekiti State Commissioner for Health, Oyebanji Filani, has explained how two septuagenarians and a 45-year-old woman died of COVID-19 infection in the state.

The commissioner said the victims reported for treatment when it was already too late to treat them.

He said the three persons died in the last one week, as the infection figures have soared significantly in the same period.

The state recorded over 300 confirmed cases of the virus last week, forcing it to toughen its measures for the prevention of the disease across the state.

Ekiti State has 1,280 confirmed cases of the disease so far, with 15 deaths. It also has 263 persons on admission while 1002 persons have been discharged.

“Three persons have died of COVID-19 within the last two weeks. Two were old men above 75 years and the third one was a relatively young lady of 45. And these were people who presented themselves late for treatments” Mr Filani said, while speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Monday.

 

He said the state had taken delivery of 46,000 doses of the Moderna Vaccines to be administered on the residents to strengthen their antibodies.

He, however, cautioned that those who had taken the first or second dose of Astrazeneca vaccines should not present themselves for the present one.

Mr Filani said 3,000 persons have been tested in the month of August with 342 confirmed cases recorded out of which 71 have been treated and discharged.

 

“We are getting more cases in Ekiti because we are improving on our testing capacity and there is nothing to worry about,” he said.

“As of now, 12 states still have higher positivity rate than Ekiti.

“The state has created about 845 testing centres with about 3,000 rapid diagnostic kids being made available to our general hospitals and private healthcare facilities in the 16 local government areas of the state.

 

We also have emergency operation centres across the Local Governments and their activities are synchronized, so that we can know what exactly are happening in those Local Governments.”

 

“These vaccines are safe and very efficient. Let me point out that out of 183 confirmed cases we got in May, only one had taken first dose Astrazeneca jab, which shows that the vaccines can save lives.”

The state government had sounded the alarm, urging citizens to become conscious of the infectious disease by adhering to the prevention guidelines and other protocols.

 

Churches, mosques and other social centres are being monitored by the government to ensure the enforcement of all the guidelines for the prevention of the disease.