BY OLUYEMISI ALE
CHAIRMAN, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has lamented that many Nigerians seeking to travel out of the country are presenting fake COVID-19 test results.
Mustapha, who spoke at a briefing of the Task Force, on Thursday, said this just as he noted that the level of doubts about the existence of the virus was alarming among Nigerians.
He said it had become embarrassing to note that some Nigerians continued to present fake COVID-19 results when travelling outside the country, adding that this remained a major source of concern to the Federal Government.
To address the situation and eliminate fraud, the SGF said the Federal Government had directed private laboratories to put in place measures that would validate COVID-19 results.
According to him, all passengers are also to be registered on the travel portal before test samples are processed.
He however expressed concern over the increasing daily cases of COVID-19 infection, noting that the country recorded 1,664 new cases on Wednesday.
He said, “This is yet another all-time high in Nigeria, and we must all take full responsibility through compliance and vigilance. It is better to wear a face mask than to be on a ventilator.
”We have consistently appealed to all Nigerians to stay safe and act in most defensive and protective ways by complying with the non-pharmaceutical interventions already prescribed.”
Mustapha added, “Remind your neighbour to do the right thing in view of the imminent danger facing us as a country and the world in general.
“Our records show that our test per million is at 4,695; our test positivity rate at 9.6 per cent; and our case fatality rate has increased to three per cent as we have recorded 1,324 deaths.”
The PTF also urged sub-nationals to revamp testing and contact tracing in a bid to curb the menace of this dreaded virus, saying it was only through testing “that we can know our status and treat early if infected.”
“This will provide among other things, evidence for effective feedback and experience sharing, as well as optimise documentation systems for future reference,” Mustapha added.
The PTF Chairman revealed that efforts were being made to increase oxygen supply to health facilities across the country, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the establishment of at least one new oxygen plant in each state of the federation, while the existing ones would be made fully functional.
“As the government is working round the clock to secure safe and right vaccines for the country, we call on the media, traditional, religious and community leaders to pass the right message to their followers so that together, we can win the war against this virus. To overcome some of these challenges, the PTF will intensify risk communication and community engagement to create awareness,” he said.
