Borno State Government says it has found Abbas Kaka Hassan, a 24-year-old man, who fled after testing positive for coronavirus.
KanyiDaily had reported that Hassan and Hauwa Mohammed, a 42-year-old woman, fled the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital after their results came positive on Sunday.
Hassan, after collecting his result, was said yo have eloped and switched off his phone, along with the phone his mother used to communicate with the COVID-19 team.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the state’s commissioner of health, Salisu Kwayabura said Hassan was traced in the early hours of the day and found around 2am.
Kwayabura said a combined team of health surveillance and investigation team, backed by a police escort, traced the patient in a critical state at his family house in Gwange 11.
“He was immediately moved on stretcher and is now on ventilator at an isolation centre,” he added.
Kwayabura said health workers are doing everything possible to revive the patient while a contact tracing and surveillance team has been deployed to identify persons who may have had direct and indirect contacts with him, for risks assessment, isolation advise and collection of samples for tests.
The Commissioner however said, that Hauwa Mohammed who also tested positive at UMTH test laboratory, is still at large. The woman was said to be living in Shuwari ward, also in Maiduguri.
He urged her to as a matter or urgency, report to the hospital even as a combination of health surveillance experts and security officials are making all efforts to trace her.
Kwayabura reiterated his call on citizens who test positive not to stay away from isolation centres but come forward for help.
He noted that the chance of recovering from COVID-19 is higher than the chance of dying from the disease.
He also called on members of the public to show empathy and compassion rather than stigmatize anyone who tests positive because stigmatization only keeps patients away from isolation centres and make them spread infections among citizens that may include those who stigmatize them.
