Governor Kayode Fayemi has said Ekiti State might extend the current lockdown due to the magnitude of contact tracing the new coronavirus case in the state has necessitated.
Fayemi made the remarks while addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday on the latest information gathered about the third and current case of COVID-19 in the state.
According to him, the case is a 29-year-old pregnant woman who fell into a prolonged labour on Monday, April 15, and was taken at hospitals before the baby was delivered through surgery. Unfortunately, the patient suffered a cardiac arrest and had been in coma.
He said due to the new case, the government might ”consider further extension of the lockdown at least until all possible direct and indirect contacts of this woman have been traced and placed in self-isolation as minimum period of incubation is 14 days for every new infection”.
Giving information about the new case, Fayemi said, ”This new case is a pregnant 29-year-old female Community Health Worker with Lagos State who sneaked into Ekiti State in spite of the lockdown. She presented at a State Comprehensive Primary Healthcare facility in active labour on Monday April 13, 2020.
”After a prolonged labour with fatal distress, she was referred to a teaching hospital but decided to go to a private hospital instead. A caesarean section was performed on the patient and the baby was delivered safely.
”However, she suffered a cardiac arrest and was referred to the Federal Teaching Hospital Ido Ekiti where she is currently unconscious. The suspicion of COVID-19 infection and subsequent testing was at the Federal Tertiary institution.”
”The Ekiti State COVID-19 Taskforce has already commenced contact tracing of the new case as at this morning, we have over 30 primary contacts on our list already. The baby is alive and under surveillance while the private clinic has been sealed off and medical personnel who interacted with this case during her obstetrics and gynaecology emergency have been contacted and put in self isolation. By the time we include secondary and tertiary contacts, this one case may have put hundreds of unsuspecting people at risk of COVID-19 infection in Ekiti State.”
The governor revealed that as at Saturday, Ekiti has 29 suspected cases, 2 confirmed cases, and 49 contact tracing persons of interest before the new case.
He berated the activities of security agents at the borders, describing the mode of handling the lockdown situation as ”total disregard of the preventive directives”.
He however said the government will deploy more relief materials to residents if the lockdown is extended.