We don’t have the capacity to isolate all those who test positive for COVID-19 -SGF

Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), says there is not enough infrastructure to isolate everyone that tests positive for COVID-19.

Nigeria had recorded more than 10, 000 COVID-19 cases as of May 31.

At a briefing on Monday, Mustapha who is the chairman of the presidential task force on COVID-19, said the authorities would provide home management guidelines especially for those without symptoms.

“We have been able to interrupt the level of transmission and we can now situate the level of transmission within 20 local government areas that account for the total figure of 60% of 10, 107 that we have for today,” he said.

“What we need to do now is to apply a precision intervention process so that we can deal with the transmission at that level and those particular localities. Provide care for those that are infected and also put in place a home management guideline because very soon as the figure scales out, we would not be able to provide isolation for everybody that has tested positive.

“It’s not done anywhere. We lack the infrastructure, we lack the capacity to do that. It is not even advisable. What we have to do is to provide care at the home management level for those that are asymptomatic and cant dangerously transmit the virus.”

The SGF said as there are now more molecular laboratories, COVID-19 tests would be taken closer to the communities, and the number of cases is expected to increase.

In April, Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), had said the agency was considering the management of COVID-19 patients in their homes.

According to him, there were challenges with getting enough bed spaces at isolation centres, and as such, patients may have to self-isolate in their homes under strict guidelines.