2 COVID-19 patients on the run in Borno state

Two patients who tested positive for COVID-19, are on the run in Borno state.

Abbas Kaka Hassan, a 24 year-old male, and Hauwa Mohammed, a 42
year-old female, are on the run after testing positive to COVID-19 at
the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in Borno State.

The male is from Layin Tanki in Gwange 11 while the woman lives in Shuwari ward.

Borno Commissioner of Health and Secretary to the state’s high
powered response team for the prevention and control of COVID-19, Dr
Salisu Kwayabura announced this at the team’s daily media briefings
which held on Sunday at the government house in Maiduguri.

He initially gave the male’s name while briefing journalists. After
the briefing, he received additional information of a woman also on the
run.

The commissioner said the male patient (Abbas), who was in initial
telephone contact with the response team after his sample was collected,
eventually switched off his phone when he learnt he tested positive. He
also said a phone number through which the patient’s mother was in
touch with the team, has also been switched off.

“When samples of patients with contacts to index cases are collected,
they are normally advised to go on self-isolation. They give their
contacts so they can be reached when results are out. This is the
standard medical procedure. You cant detain someone with suspected
contact. We do not have the lawful powers to do that. Other patients
were also allowed to leave but they came into isolation centres and we
have 19 of them in two isolation centres. However, the young man in
question,  chose to go into hiding”.

He noted that a diligent surveillance and investigation team is working very hard to track the patient.

Dr Kwayabura called on anyone who tests positive for Coronavirus not
to regard it as a death sentence as majority of those who test positive
have recovered from the disease.