Nigeria: Kwara government to open COVID-19 sample collection centers

The Kwara Government has said that COVID-19 sample collection centers would be opened across the 16 local government areas of the state, according to a news report by Today.

Dr. Oluwatosin Fakayode, Director of Public Health, Kwara Ministry of Health, said this at a meeting with traditional leaders and religious bodies in Ilorin on Tuesday.

Fakayode said that the state government planned to scale up the collection centers so that more people could be tested for COVID-19.

"This is to improve the testing capacity that we have. We will commence this in the next few days. Some health workers have been undergoing training for this," he said.

Fakayode disclosed that about 6000 people have so far been tested and that the government would continue to scale up for more testing.

According to him, research conducted on those who contracted COVID-19 indicated a higher number of men got infected, 58 percent while the women were 48 percent.

"The youngest case recorded was that of a two-month-old baby and the oldest was a 93- year-old man, who succumb to the virus," he said.

Fakayode disclosed that the majority of those who died from the disease were above 50 years of age.

The Public Health expert pointed out that a distinct symptom that most of the COVID-19 cases reported was the loss of taste and loss of smell.

He said that not all patients come down with a fever, and other attendant symptoms of the disease.

Fakayode, therefore, appealed to the traditional leaders and religious bodies to partner and support the government’s effort in flattening the curve of COVID-19 transmission in the state.

"The role of royal fathers is to serve as advocates. They can help to make the work of health workers easier across the communities.

"Traditional rulers should be involved in surveillance, and alert the authorities when there is need for that," Fakayode added.