Some Nigerians who have tested positive to COVID-19 have refused to be moved to isolation Centres despite the increasing numbers of cases confirmed each day.
Almost all the states in Nigeria refused the proposal to treat positive patients at their homes as treating people with the virus at the isolation Centre is one of their main aims and to also benefit the nation as it is the only way of curbing the spread of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State governments are hoping on adopting the practice of treating COVID-19 patients with early symptoms at their home and the guidelines for that will soon be released.
Prof. Akin Abayomi, the Lagos State Minister for health explained that some of the positive COVID-19 patients are already treating themselves at home and that is why they want to adopt the practice of treating the people with the disease at their resident.
According to the Lagos State minister for health;
“There are people who are already practicing self/home isolation on their own, because we can’t find them. The (phone) numbers they give us may be false or they don’t answer their calls. When you go out to pick them at their residences, they would have absconded from their residences. So, they are isolating themselves in different places.
“In effect, the concept of home-isolation is being practiced by many Nigerians even though it is not yet a state or national practice.
“The people of Lagos are practicing home isolation which is one of the reasons why we as the government are trying to transition to home care because it is happening anyway, so we might as well regularise it and make it an official option.”
He also added that 245 new cases were recorded on Friday, making it a total of 7,261 with 10 fresh deaths recorded and 100 new persons discharged.
He said the statistic above made the isolation Centres in the state have up to 60% bed filled in total so they might still consider treating patients at the Isolation Centres.
