Chairman, Bayelsa COVID-19 Task Force, Inodu Apoku, on Tuesday announced that an average of 25 samples are sent on a daily basis to University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), for testing.
Mr Apoku, who is also the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, made this known to newsmen in a statement in Yenagoa, the state capital.
“Our surveillance is gathering momentum by the day and we are testing more cases daily.
“We now use the UPTH COVID-19 Laboratory. In the past weeks, we have been sending an average of 25 samples daily to this facility. Most of these samples are contacts of confirmed cases,” he announced.
On the confirmed new case in the state by the NCDC on Monday, the chairman said it had brought the total number of cases in Bayelsa to 12.
“This new case is a 48-year-old business woman who resides in the heart of Yenagoa.
“She visited one of our hospitals with complaints of fever, cough and Malaria that started three weeks earlier.
“Even though she was feeling a lot better, she requested for a COVID-19 test.
“The State Rapid Response team investigated her case and collected samples for testing even though she denied any travel history.
“The patient has since been evacuated for further treatment at one of our Isolation Centres. She is currently clinically stable and receiving optimal medical care,” Mr Apoku explained.
