Odahiekwu Ogunde, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Government in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has inaugurated an Emergency Operations Centre equipped to track and control the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri officially inaugurated the operations centre during a virtual ceremony in Yenagoa yesterday.
He commended the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, for assisting in combating coronavirus pandemic in the state.
Diri, represented by the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, acknowledged the support of the US government in the state, saying the state-of-the-art facility, which was constructed by the state government and upgraded by USAID, is part of government’s efforts to curtail the spread of the virus in the state.
The governor explained that within three months of the response, over large number of people had been tested for COVID-19 in the state, out of which over 282 persons had tested positive for the disease.
He added that the state had mandated the Ministry of Information and Orientation to launch behavioural change communication programmes to address myths, misconceptions and negative beliefs exhibited by some indigenes of the state about COVID-19.
On expansion of the response, Diri said the state was making effort to localise testing in order to combat the pandemic and flatten the curve.
Bayelsa is among the eight states EOCs have been publicly inaugurated after receiving the USAID-funded upgrades. Other states are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Cross River, Edo, Niger, Oyo and Kano.
The EOC is expected to support centralised, real-time monitoring and predictive modelling for enhanced coordination of activities as well as enhance decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies.
The centre will also serve citizens by facilitating the seamless coordination and integration of the state government actions to both curb and contain the spread of the virus.
The EOC’s upgrade is in line with Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control priorities to further strengthen the COVID-19 response in Nigeria. Accordingly, USAID has helped to expand the capacity of nine state EOCs with the addition of digital situation and communication rooms.
Bayelsa State currently has 282 COVID-19 cases while the number of cases in each of the neighbouring states of Rivers and Delta have gone over the thousand mark.
It is believed that the state remains in a position to minimise the impact of the virus with a dynamic and coordinated response focusing on surveillance and robust testing around the state borders.
US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, said, “United States stands together with all of Nigeria in fighting COVID-19.
“As of today, we have dedicated more than $237million to the COVID response in Africa, with $48.9 million supporting these efforts in Nigeria alone”