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Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ononye Mordi (middle); Secretary to State Government, Chiedu Ebie, Esq. (left) and Chief Austin Eruotor, shortly after being decorated as “Delta State Ambassador for the fight against COVID-19” held in Government House Asaba. PHOTO: BRIPIN ENARUSAI

Delta’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Mordi Ononye, has confirmed that a two-month-old baby was among the 116 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the state.

Ononye, who made this known at a news conference in Asaba, Friday, said that peadiatricians were taking care of the child and expressed optimism that the baby would get better and be discharged.

He said that the state currently has 116 confirmed cases of the pandemic, with 31 discharged and 77 active cases.

“We have recorded eight deaths which is about seven per cent fatality rate and have conducted 850 tests and have received 7, 708 calls on our hotlines.

“We have investigated 850 suspects and at present, 13 health workers have been infected.

“No one should doubt that Covid-19 is real; there are confirmed cases in 13 local government areas of the state and 66 per cent of those affected are males while 34 per cent are females, with bed occupancy rate of 48 per cent,” Ononye said.

He affirmed the commitment of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration to curb the spread of the virus in the state and appealed to the media to assist in creating more awareness of the pandemic.

He disclosed that a lot of the patients still at the Isolation Centres were waiting to be discharged as they had been tested two times and found negative after treatment.

Secretary to the State Government, Mr Chiedu Ebie, announced that the curfew of 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. imposed in the state by the government was still in force and urged Deltans to obey safety measures set by the government to check the spread of the virus.

“Covid-19 is real and you don’t need government to pursue you to obey set protocols; we ensure that boundaries across the state are monitored, though, it has not been an easy task because some people just want to flout government’s directives.

“The curfew is still in place from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. and I plead with all Deltans to obey the advice of government.

“I thank the private sector for their support, which has come in different forms – cash, food items, medical consumables, among others, ” Ebie said.

At the news conference, the Index Case of Covid-19 in the state, Chief Austin Eruotor and the fourth victim of the pandemic, Mr Jerry Azinge, shared their experiences.

They said that it was important for early diagnosis and for those affected to get early treatment as Covid-19 came in different forms and symptoms.

On his part, Chairman, Delta State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Mr Augustine Uroye, appealed to the public not to stigmatise discharged patients of Covid-19, and commended the state government for commitment to the fight against the virus.