By YSO Olaniyi
*Oyo Govt to hold meeting with religious leaders. Mentions Foods That Help fight against COVID-19
*We’ll reveal the company with COVID-19 patients today – Makinde
Fear grips Ibadan residents as the yet-to-be named company in the Oyo state capital, Ibadan recorded 19 fresh cases of coronavirus on Monday, this brings the total number of confirmed cases in the company to 57. The state is now 10th on the national COVID-19 log as the total number of confirmed cases hit 137.
Governor Seyi Makinde via his verified Twitter handle wrote “the COVID-19 confirmation tests for nineteen suspected cases came back POSITIVE. All nineteen of these cases are from the same organisation referred to in the updates of May 16 and 17, 2020. So, the total number of confirmed cases in Oyo State is 137”.
Makinde in a press briefing at Agodi Government House yesterday said the identity of the company in the Southwest Local Government Area of the state will be unveiled today (Tuesday). “We have held back from revealing the name of the company so as to allow the Emergency Operations Centre gather intelligence and complete their investigation. So, they will be done by tomorrow (Tuesday) and we will be able to give you that information so that any person who has visited the company recently will be able to present themselves for testing” he said.
He also said that the Oyo State Taskforce would continue to allow all confirmed COVID-19 cases who are able to self-isolate at home to do so, in order not to overwhelm the capacity of the state isolation centres. “This also ensures that the isolation centres are available for those who need hospitalisation. However, we will keep tracking those self-isolating using technology to prevent community spread”.
“We will issue an advisory based on the advice given by Professor E. Olatunde Farombi, a Professor of Biochemistry and Fellow, Nigeria Academy of Science. This is on foods and natural products useful as preventive measures against COVID-19 and other viral illnesses. For instance, we have bitter kola, turmeric, zinc, ginger, garlic, citrus fruits and bitter leaf. Let me emphasise that this advisory is not for the treatment or cure of COVID-19, it is preventive”
“Regarding our directives on social distancing during this pandemic, we have received requests from religious leaders about relaxing the ban on gatherings to allow religious services hold. We are currently in an accelerated phase in the transmission of COVID-19 in Oyo State and the expert advice is that transmission occurs more easily in enclosed spaces. So, we cannot at this time, relax this directive”.
“However, the experts are carrying out a risk situation analysis and will be sending in their report before the end of May and this will determine our next steps. Therefore, we will be meeting with religious leaders before the end of this week to see how and when reopening of religious places will be possible” the Governor concluded.
Meanwhile, the NCDC on Monday confirmed 216 new cases of the novel coronavirus in FCT and 14 states. The total number of confirmed cases is 6175 as at Monday 18th May 2020. Total Discharged cases stand at 1644 while 191 Deaths cases have been recorded so far.
Below is the breakdown of the 216 new cases of COVID19;
74-Lagos 33-Katsina 19-Oyo
17-Kano 13-Edo 10-Zamfara
8-Ogun 8-Gombe 8-Borno
7-Bauchi 7-Kwara 4-FCT
3-Kaduna 3-Enugu 2-Rivers.
