By UCHE NWOSU

Following the confirmation of two COVID-19 cases in Abia State on Monday night, the management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, a federal institution, on Tuesday asked all patients and their caregivers to immediately vacate the hospital.

A senior management staff in the hospital told the Daily Independent in Umuahia that if the stern measure to evacuate every patient is not done, the pandemic may spread rapidly in the state through the hospital.

The staff disclosed that one patient, an elder woman, suspected to be suffering from Coronavirus was mistakenly admitted and put in one of the private wards in the hospital, saying that the woman could have been one of the two cases that were confirmed Monday (20/04/2020) night to be positive.

“Because of that, we thought that no one is safe; patients, their caregivers, nurses and doctors and therefore the safest thing to do is to ask everybody in the hospital to go home to enable us fumigate the place to ensure safety.

“The immediate lockdown of the hospital is for the total and over all interest of the people of the state because if the management does not take this concrete action, the health of our people would be in jeopardy including those the hospital is treating”.

“Remember that these two cases have had contacts with some people, who may rush to the hospital when the symptom manifests and in the process endanger the lives of medical staff and other people in FMC”, he said.

When our Correspondent visited the hospital some hours ago, there was apprehension and anxiety boldly written on the faces of the relations of some of the patients being forced out as most of their loved ones, ie the patients, were in critical conditions and needed continued medical attention.

It will be recalled that on Monday 20/04/2020 night the state government announced the confirmation of two COVID-19 cases in the state, even as the government asked the citizens of the state not panic.

In a radio interview on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu asked the people not to panic, but to continue to adhere strictly to the health rules and advice of the health experts and the Committee on COVID-19 set up by the state government over the Coronavirus. (Daily Independent)