The Federal Government has urged states and other stakeholders not to completely close isolation centres because of the drop in the number of cases on admission and apparent decline in the number of active COVID-19 cases.
Rather, it advised them to maintain some of the isolation centres in readiness for a possible surge in cases and a second wave of the pandemic as evident in other countries.
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, disclosed this during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja.
He said: “With the decline in the number of active cases and the number of cases on admission drops, some isolation centres in the country are already making arrangements to rationalize the number of frontline health personnel into the reserve pool or redeployed. This would be done in a manner that will allow easy re-mobilization where necessary.
“We however advise states and relevant stakeholders not to completely close all isolation centres due to consistent lack of patients but some centres should rather be maintained.
“This is to ensure promptness and readiness against any surge as part of l preparation against possible second wave.
“We are taking advantage of this low active cases to carry out appraisal and reappraisal of activities at the isolation centres.
“This is necessary to assess and understand areas of strengths, weaknesses, available opportunities as well as dangers.
“Such activities will consolidate gains while taking measures to prevent re-occurrence of errors as well as deployment of appropriate resources.”
Ehanire, while urging protesting youths not to attack medical stores and the NCDC warehouse because the medicines and other medical consumables are stored under controlled environmental conditions, also noted the destruction of these items will impact negatively on our response to the pandemic.
