Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State says his government plans to conduct Coronavirus tests on 10,000 people within a short time in the state.
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Makinde said this shortly after he resumed work and inspected 100-bed Infectious Disease Centre at Olodo in Ibadan on Monday.
He said that the state was determined to win the battle against coronavirus, noting that if it was able to test 10,000 persons within a short period, it would equally stay ahead in the fight against the disease.
“Testing such large number of people remain the only way to get a handle on the COVID-19 in Oyo state.
”It will be impossible to ascertain the number of people who might have contracted the disease without scaling up the testing,” he said.
The governor noted that though the efforts by the government might not have hit the 100 per cent mark, there are clear signs that the state was ready to fight COVID-19.
He urged residents to continue supporting his government, while adhering strictly to the directives issued by the state COVID-19 Task Force and medical experts.
”The 100-bed hospital is left in carcass before this administration emerged.
“But this administration took it upon itself to fix the facility and re-designate it to Infectious Disease Centre, with the capacity to serve as isolation centres for 100 patients.” he stated.
The governor further appreciated residents of the state for their prayers and support while he was recovering from COVID-19.
He thanked Prof. Temitope Alonge, a former Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, who served as head of the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force while he was in isolation.