Four of the 25 COVID-19 patients, who escaped the Imo State Task Force on Prevention and Control of COVID-19 few days ago, have submitted themselves to the committee for treatment.
Member of the task force, who is also the Imo State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr. Vitus Ekeocha, disclosed this recently while fielding questions that 96 travellers allegedly disregarded the border closure directive. They were reportedly travelling from Imo to Delta, Rivers, Abia, Anambra, Lagos and other South West states. He disclosed that when their samples were tested and results returned positive for COVID-19, they escaped. He said the identities and contacts of the escapees had been sent to the state governments and relevant agencies of the areas they were travelling to track them.
According to him, before the results came out, the patients had allegedly been released by the security operatives to continue their journey, not minding the implications.
He confirmed four of the escaped patients as Imo citizens, expressing gladness that they later submitted themselves and undergoing treatment at the isolation and treatment facility at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri.
On why people on transit to other states when caught were counted against the state, he explained, “You cannot bring someone’s sample in Imo and say it is from another state. You have to follow protocols.”Tension is also mounting in the state that the number of infected persons had risen to about 50.
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