The ravages of the Coronavirus pandemic threatened all nations, and did not even spare advanced nations such as the United States, the UK, China where the disease was born, Italy etc.
All nations battled for survival of their people. The leader of Africa's largest and most populous nation, President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria raised an alarm and came out with the protocols by the ((W.H.O) through the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to the states, and the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri without waste of time constituted a Committee with a seasoned Medical Doctor in the State to take the lead in the 'titanic' battle of Covid-19.
With a view to updating information on how the state Government fought the ferocious Coronavirus pandemic, our medium, Golden Pen Newspaper visited the office of the appropriate Senior Government Official at the State Secretariat, Yenagoa for an interview.
Excerpts:
Golden Pen: I am Otonye Evans Tubonah, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Golden Pen Newspaper print and on-line. Am in your office to get an update on the battle of Covid-19, but before we proceed, could you please tell the public your name and office?
Ans: I am Dr. Inodu Nathaniel Apoku (KSA) the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health Bayelsa State, and the Co-Chairman of the mult- sectoral Committee responsible for the management of Covid-19.
Ques: What can you tell Bayelsans and the world about the Coronavirus pandemic war situation in the State?
Ans: Well, we have gone a very long way. In February when the issues of Covid-19 ravaging the entire world as a pandemic came into being. We thank God that we are in a place to be used as instruments in this fight.
By his grace we have done it, we fought Covid to a stand still. Covid-19 started at Wuhan in China ... with symptoms and signs like: Fever, Lose of appetite, Sorethroat, Lose of smell, and Body pains.
And by this February, the symptoms were seen amongst our people in the State. I think our first index case was seen 27th of February amongst the civil servants who claimed that he had no contact with anybody and had no history of haven travelled out of Bayelsa State. He was picked up and screened and it turned out to be positive. Samples were collected from his entire household. His wife was positive, their three children were also not free.
They became the first index case of COVID-19 in Bayelsa State.
Ques: What measures did you take to arrest the situation that been your first case?
Ans: Immediately the cases were identified we made provision quickly and took them to isolation center and a Professor of infectious diseases.who himself is the CMD of the Okolobiri.General Hospital was in-charge of the management of the patients.
Then some protocols were made for people to follow. First we had to train our people, all medical personnel in the state were trained..
We brought out all those in the private sector and started training them in the management of COVID-19 protocols:
* Washing of hands
* Use of sanitizers
* Wearing of mask
* Maintaining social distance
All of these were mentioned to the people being trained. The training were being replicated even at the local government areas.
" We came down and formed an E.O.C Emergency Operational Center, where every 4, O Clock, people gathered together to brainstorm on ways of how to manage this disease.
because Covid-19 patients cannot be treated along with other regular diseased persons.
And E.O.C was advised to be replicated at the primary level, the Local Government level, and Local Government Chairmen were given the authority to be Chairmen of implementation committees in their respective Local Government Areas. So we started all of these, we quickly also provided a quarantine center.
People were asked to isolate themselves in their homes, they that were not able to properly isolate themselves were taken to quarantine centers. Government made provisions at quarantine centers in Yenagoa. Also, a place was designated to collect samples from people who came down with the symptoms of the disease. Those who had symptoms like:
* Fever, lose of appetite, sorethroath, lose of smell, and body pain.samples were collected and we were going to Benin, because we had no center of our own. And from time to time patients were taken there. Those who turned to be positive were sent to the isolation centers treatments follow immediately.
Ques: Ministries of the state Civil Service were almost closed down, what informed that decision?
Ans: We noticed that, and as prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO), we knew that the disease because of its level of infectivity does not encourage a group of people gathering together in a place, and the state government now said, because of that reason those who are at level 01-12 should stay at home to reduce gathering of large number of people in a place. Uptil now they have not been called back, we are considering the possibility of calling them back to work. The decision was informed by the fact that the disease spread so fast when people gather together in a place.
And if you noticed, we have many of those people in the work force. So, goverment now decided and said, Yes! Go home, we are going to pay your salaries and uptil now they have been at home.
It was a.wise.decision taken by the management team in the ministries so that we.don't unnecessarily infest ourselves, and even take it back to our homes.
Ques: When the Government ordered the lockdown, what.steps were taken to chushion the effect of their hardship?
Ans: You know we were one of the earliest states to start lockdown as.a.way to mitigate the spread of the disease, and you can see that all of it has come down well with us, and at a point the Churches were asked to close. There was no Church service and markets were also destroyed, illegal structures where people use to hang out and form a crowd were also.destroyed. All of it were means to mitigate the spread of the disease. Two major markets were brought to size. Illegal structures where all manner of people congregate to gossip and talk were destroyed, and people were asked to vacate all those places.
Ques: How many times did this state government give palliatives to cushion the suffering of the lockeddown masses, and how did they feel?
Ans: I was not involved, because I was in-charge of identifying who were really sick and see that they were properly treated and discharged. But I know that Government made provision, large amount of money was provided for the purchase of palliatives: rice, garri etc and they were given out according to Local Government Areas, and people became excited and on the side of government, we actually saw that COVID-19 can be pursued and driven out of our state, and we are very happy because we were able to reduce its level of infectivity, as people were restricted to their houses.
Concerned with the welfare of the masses the state government assisted them with palliatives while they stayed at home to.get foof to eat. So, a lot of people were quite excited and happy.about it.
Ques: Just for the purposes of records, can you mention names of members of the COVID-19 Committee of the State?
Ans: I wouldn't go into that, it's quite an extensive one. We had.two Committees: the implementating Committee, multi-sectoral Committee where the Governor himself is.the Chairman, am co-Chair with him. Then the implementating Committee, I am solly the Chairman. Then we have sub- implementing Committee on Security, manned by Sparrow Jack, a retired Commissioner of Police, a very intelligent and proactive man, they are basically in-charge of enforcement of all the policies that we had put in place viz. closing down of Churches. ...we set up a monitoring Committee especially for Churches on Sundays and also for the Mosques on Fridays to see if they are adhearing to the principles and protocols of COVID-19.
So, all of those things are going-on, the implementing Committee was formed basically by those who volunteered. And it was the volunteers that we used at the entry points to screen those who were coming in.
In the course of all these we discovered that a lot of people from the North who really had nothing to do in the State were coming in their numbers. When we identified those group of people we asked them to go back.
But at the border those who were carrying essentials; food items, drugs and water were allowed to come in after being screened. That was how we operated until this time. So far...we had total number of 5000 samples collected from people for screening. A total of confirmed cases, we had about 339 persons screened and confirmed positive. Out of this number 284 had been treated well and discharged. Over 90% of our patients went back home well.
unfortunately we lost 21 persons.
Cut-in, did we lose some of our prominent persons too?
Ans: Yes, very prominent persons also died. Chief Dokpola and Dr. Kosipre who was CMD of Hospitals Management Board died because of it. It's unfortunate, it happened. That is the sad end of it, we are still working to see that Bayelsa is free. It's still ongoing, all the protocols are still being observed. We have seen that COVID-19 itself is easing out that's why the Governor has graciously permitted the worship of middle services in all of the Churches and even amongst Moslems...
So far so good, we have done very well, the state also had done very well, the implementating Committee and every other team have done well.
Ques: You said, the state Government, and all the Committees have done well, what do you have to say about the Governor and you, talking about relationship in the COVID-19 battle in the state?
Ans: I have a very free access to him, he personally goes to the entry points to see how we are doing the screening, and to be sure that people are there at all times doing their normal works in terms of enforcement and implementation of the protocols that had been prescribed for the management of COVID-19.
So, he had been very supportive every point and time. He always want to know what we are doing or had done. We never lacked any material to work with. His disposition had been quite encouraging, like am telling you, I had undisturbed access, any time I call, he picks my calls and we discussed modalities of how to go about it...
Ques: Let's talk about the re-opening of schools, what are the modalities?
Ans: The Governor in following the trend has come to realize that infectivity had reduced, plus or minus, for weeks, we've not had any case. He said, this is the time we should talk about opening of schools.
And as a.very proactive Governor, he just didn't want to say: schools be re-opened, No! He first consulted with the management team, the medical team and they gave him a very wise counsel and invited those who are in the public service, as well the Ministry of Education to come in and we instituted a training.
A one day training for trainers who would go down to the Local Government Areas to Cascade the form of training, they had in the LGAS. Training is all about the protocols of COVID-19.
A monitoring team had also been constituted to ensure compliance.
Golden Pen: Thank you, Mr. Chairman for being with us.
Dr. Apoku. Thank you!
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