Abia govt shuts down private hospitals as state records first cases of COVID-19

The Abia State government on Tuesday shut two private hospitals where the state’s two index coronavirus cases were initially admitted.

The state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, who confirmed the development at a press briefing, said doctors and nurses of the hospitals located at Umuahia North and Ukwa West local government areas of the state have been quarantined for suspected coronavirus.

He said one of the patients comes from Umuahia North, while the other is from Ukwa West LGA.

Ikpeazu disclosed that the Inter-Ministerial Committee on COVID-19 would begin a community to community contact tracing as the two victims had no history of travelling abroad or outside their vicinity.

He said: “This means that some people in their communities may have contracted and got them infected and that’s why we should quickly move into the villages and communities to do this contact tracing in order to identify those they were in contact with them before they were tested.”