25th March, 2020
Governor Aminu Tambuwal and the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar on Tuesday met religious leaders and other stakeholders in the state on ways to prevent the deadly Coronavirus from spreading to Sokoto State.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that about 250 stakeholders attended the meeting.
However, the outcome of the meeting was not disclosed in spite of an earlier assurance by Alhaji Abdullahi Danko, a Permanent Secretary, to brief newsmen on the outcome.
Sokoto state has no isolation centre for now, as the construction of the centre is still ongoing at the Leprosy Hospital in Amanawa, a suburb of Sokoto.
Earlier, the Chief Medical Director of Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Dr Anas Sabir, had told newsmen that there was no isolation center for Coronavirus in the hospital.
However, Sabir said UDUTH has a Lassa Fever center that has been in existence for four years but added that the state government had approached the hospital for technical training of medical workers on Coronavirus.
At the Sokoto Specialist Hospital, the Medical Director, Dr Nuhu Maishanu, said a 10-bed capacity isolation center has been provided in the hospital.
Maishanu, however, said that materials needed for the centre to become functional were being expected “hopefully by Wednesday, March 25.”
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Ali Inname had said that the ministry is constantly monitoring the situation across the state and had designated three isolation centers for suspected COVID-19 cases.
Inname said the centres were at Amanawa, UDUTH and the Specialists Hospital.