Kaduna conducts COVID-19 testing in 29,771 households

Kaduna State has revealed that the state has commenced testing in the nine council areas where COVID-19 cases were confirmed and have visited 29,771 households.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina Mohammed-Baloni, said this on Monday in a statement adding that the state had discharged 157 patients and recorded eight fatalities.

She also stated that as of 31 May 2020, the state recorded a total of 258 cases, out of which 93 were active.

Mohammed-Baloni stated, “The state has discharged 157 persons and recorded eight fatalities. Health officials are going into communities to search for and test persons that may show any of the symptoms of COVID-19.

“As part of the active case search, 29,771 households have been visited. Health officials have tested 297 persons with symptoms such as fever and sore throat.’’

The commissioner explained that the search for probable cases within communities was combined with “targeted testing of contacts of confirmed cases and testing of persons who call with symptoms that meet the case definition.”

She noted that COVlD-19 cases in the state would likely increase as more tests were conducted in more areas.

The commissioner added, “Expanded testing would enable early identification of new cases and would help prevent further spread of the virus by getting infected persons to be isolated and treated earlier. It would also provide more accurate data to inform government’s decisions going forward.

“The active case search also presents the ministry of health the opportunity to search for other medical conditions and provide services to the communities.”