TheCable

Three more COVID-19 fatalities and 11 new cases have been recorded in Borno state.

Salihu Kwaya-Bura, the state commissioner for health, and secretary of the response team for the prevention and control of COVID-19, confirmed this at a press briefing on Tuesday.

He said the figures were for Monday and Tuesday, adding that the state is following up on 233 persons, while the number of surveillance teams will be increased, with more isolation and testing centres set up.

The commissioner said the machine at the Umaru Shehu Memorial hospital has the capacity to carry out 500 tests in one day, but plans are on to utilise the microbiology department of the University of Maiduguri for an additional test centre to increase the capacity to 1,000 tests per day.

In his response to the question on whether the three recent deaths were contacts of the index case from Pulka or the case from Biu, the commissioner said they were from different sources.

Borno recorded its first fatality on April 19, 2020, while another death was confirmed on April 22, 2020.

On why no recovery has been reported so far, Kwaya-Bura said no discharge should be expected before the end of the initial 14 days, adding that some of the patients are responding to treatment and series of tests would be conducted before they are confirmed negative.

He called on residents in the state to practise personal hygiene such as regular washing of hands with soap under running water, social and physical distancing and wearing of masks, to control the spread of the virus.