Unedited Broadcast On Covid-19 By Gov Obiano

A Special Broadcast on Covid-19 by the Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano on Thursday August 13, 2020.

Ndi Anambra ekenem unu!

I am here to give you an update on our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in Anambra State.

In the sixth month of our fight against this global pandemic, we have found ourselves at the most difficult stage of this war. This stage is dangerous because after six months of living in the climate of this pandemic, we are all beginning to feel too relaxed with the virus. We are dropping our vigilance and disobeying the Covid-19 protocol. This is very dangerous!

Again, the world is slowly adjusting to the reality of living with Covid-19. Life is gradually returning to normal in a world that is still extremely abnormal. And this is also very dangerous!

Ndi Anambra, it has been said over and over again, that our best chance of surviving this pandemic still depends on our ability to prevent it. This is why we cannot afford to disobey the Covid-19 protocol. Ndi Anambra, we cannot afford to fall asleep while we are still standing on our feet. Let us give ourselves a chance to live. Let us observe the Covid-19 protocol diligently and live to tell the story of this moment tomorrow.

Update on Cases in Anambra State.

Ndi Anambra, you may remember that in my last broadcast, I warned that we were going to ramp up our Covid-19 tests and that it would significantly lead to a rise in the figures we would be reporting subsequently. Well… just as we all expected, we have tested total of 1092 samples so far out of which 922 returned negative while 160 tested positive. Out of this figure also, we have successfully treated and discharged 125 patients while 17 people are receiving treatment in their respective homes. So far, 18 people have died of Covid-19 in Anambra State. These 18 deaths were recorded in different parts of the state. Ndi Anambra, this calls for extreme caution. Nowhere is absolutely safe. Covid-19 is everywhere now.

Update on our Plans against Covid-19:

Ndi Anambra I am delighted to inform you that we took delivery of 2500 units of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) which the medical personnel wear to protect themselves while attending to Covid-19 patients. With this equipment, our healthcare givers will feel more comfortable to attend to our friends and loved ones battling to survive the pandemic.

I am happy to announce that the GeneXpert Lab in Onitsha General Hospital has just been activated and has started conducting Covid-19 tests successfully. The lab was activated on Wednesday August 5, 2020.

Ndi Anambra on activation, the lab made history as Nigeria’s first General Hospital Laboratory to be activated for Covid-19 testing. So, I urge Onitsha residents to feel free to walk into the hospital for a Covid-19 test at any time. Our team is there to receive you.

The laboratory at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku in Awka is also running tests on Covid-19 samples smoothly. We must not wait until we begin to show full symptoms of Covid-19 before we go for a test. Ndi Anambra let’s take our health seriously and do the test before it becomes dangerous.

Organizing Efforts against Covid-19:

Umu nnem, our aggressive community search for carriers of Covid-19 virus is still going on. We are even better organized now than ever before. A major part of this effort is the recent training of the Covid-19 Rapid Response Team in the five epicenters of the pandemic in our dear state. These places are Awka South, Onitsha North and South, Idemili North and Nnewi North.

Ndi Anambra with all these arrangements in place, we are giving ourselves a huge advantage in the fight against Covid-19.

Our Healthcare Workers:

Once again, I wish to commend our healthcare workers who have shown remarkable courage in the fight against this virus. We shall continue to hold you and your families up in our prayers until this pandemic is dead and gone. Dalunu!

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Ndi Anambra life is beginning to return to normal across the world but this period calls for greater attention and vigilance. If we have survived this pandemic this far, then we can all strive to stay alive until we have a widely accepted cure and a tested and effective vaccine for it. The key to our own survival is in our hands.

Ndi Anambra let’s not throw our lives away. Let us strive to maintain the Covid-19 protocol in everything we do for the time being.