Oshodi-Isolo records 30 positive COVID-19 cases
By Edith Igbokwe
No fewer than 30 positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Oshodi-Isolo out of the samples collected at Ajibulu Sample Collection Centre since it started operation on Thursday, April 16, 2020 as well as other samples collected elsewhere, ECHONEWS gathered.
Out of the 30 cases, 12 are from Isolo, 11 from Oshodi while seven are from Ejigbo. The patients have been placed on isolation for treatment.
Baffled by the high level of community spread of the coronavirus in Lagos, the state government had set up Sample Collection Centres in each of the 20 local government areas of the state.
Ajibulu Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) located at No1, Ajibulu Street Mafoluku, Oshodi was enlisted in the Lagos State COVID -19 Sample Collection Centre where people from Oshodi, Isolo and Ejigbo could visit for their samples (throat swabs and nasal swabs) to be collected for test.
In two weeks of operation, 40 people out of many others whose samples were collected at Ajibulu centre have been tested at the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Yaba with 30 proving positive and 10 negative.
ECHONEWS gathered that more than 100 samples have been collected but only 40 have been successfully tested due to some logistics that delayed the test for almost a week.
As at the time of filing this report on Sunday, May 3, this year, the total confirmed cases of COVID -19 in Lagos State was 1,084 recorded in various local government areas across the state.
Earlier, one of the doctors in charge of Ajibulu centre, Dr. Baqiah Nojumudeen-Yesufu had told ECHONEWS that though the result should not take more than 24 hours to be ready, the volume of the samples collected and the logistics involved delay it till 3 days to a week.
She said the NCDC is in charge of taking up any case of positive result that emanates from the samples tested, adding that there is no counseling unit for any case of COVID-19 positive patients at Ajibulu centre.
She said: “When people give us call, we collect their details and book an appointment with them before they can visit the center for their samples to be collected for a test.
“When they visit, we collect their samples to be sent to Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) for test and when the results are ready, a call will be made across to the individuals to get their results. Normally, the result should not take more than 24 hours to be ready but the volume of the samples collected and the logistics involved make it last for about three days to a week before it is ready.”
Speaking on people’s attitude towards the test, Dr. Yesufu said: “Generally, people are indifferent to yield themselves to be tested, though the ones tested came of their free will but I advise people to know their status because early detection followed up with treatment will save a lot of damages than when neglected.
“The challenges we are facing now is that test kits are not always readily available. This makes us to reschedule people’s appointment to the time the equipment are available and this slows down the rate of samples we collect.”
She reiterated that the center is not opened for the treatment of emergency cases which need urgent attention, informing that such cases should be taken to other PHCs or hospitals for proper attention.
