No State Has Sufficient Bed Spaces For COVID-19 Patients, Says NCDC

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has bemoaned the dearth of bed space for COVID-19 patients in states across the federation.

The Director General of the agency, Chikwe Ihekweazu,  made this known on Friday at the media briefing of the presidential task force.

Ihekweazu disclosed that there are about 3,500 bed spaces for COVID-19 patients across the country.

He also said the agency is tracing about 12,000 persons who had contacts with COVID-19 patients.

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He added that the agency attained its highest testing goal on Thursday after testing 2,000 samples.

“Yesterday, we tested 2,000 samples. That is the highest number of samples we have tested in a single day across the country and this number has been increasing every day,” he said.

“So, despite challenges in parts of the country, the truth is samples are coming into our laboratory network. There is a lot of effort being made on health workers.

“From the information we have from the states, we have about 3,500 beds available right now. We push the states to make more beds available. We encourage every private sector partner if you want to support, do so in the state you are living. There is no state in Nigeria, even Lagos and FCT, that has fully fulfilled the bed capacity that they need to respond to this outbreak.

“Every day, there are new cases and with every new case, there are new contacts but we are following up on about 12,000 contacts across the country from the beginning of the outbreak.”

Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, had asked Nigerians to donate their buildings as isolation centres as the country.

Nigeria currently has a total number of 1,932 cases, 58 deaths, while 319 patients have been discharged.