Judex Okoro, Calabar
Management of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) has said there is no confirmed case of COVID-19 in Cross River State.
Reacting on behalf of the management to the rumour making the rounds that a COVID-19 patient was admitted at the UCTH isolation centre yesterday, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (C-MAC) of the hospital, Ogbu Ngim, told journalists in Calabar, that the centre has not recorded any case of the pandemic.
He, however, revealed that a patient suspected to have upper respiratory tract infections-cough was brought into the casualty department, yesterday.
According to him, the patient was not sneezing, neither did she had fever nor exhibit any of the symptoms that will confirm it is COVID-19.
Ngim said: “You know at this period even if you have malaria, people will think it is COVID-19 which is not correct. But to be more cautious, we observe what we call universal precaution on any case that you think maybe and she was taken to the isolation centre.
“We have followed the universal precaution and it is important to note that before you labelled a case as being COVID-19, they are protocols to follow. Those protocols are yet to be exhausted.
“But for now, we do not have a positive confirmatory test. As we speak, samples have been taken. We will await the result of the investigation or the test.
“We have observed what we call universal precaution on any case that you think maybe. This particular case is very unlikely to be, but at the same time, it is better to err on the side of caution and protocols and that is what we did.”
He said the UCTH management is in touch with the state government and all task force and team collaborating following the outbreak of COVID-19 to ensure the state remains totally free of the virus.
He maintained there is no need to panic, warning those in the habit of posting unconfirmed information on social media to refrain from such practices, particularly at times like this as it is capable of creating unnecessary tension and fear.