Kano State, on Sunday, said it required no fewer than 5,000 bed spaces in isolation centres to accommodate the rising number of COVID-19 patients in the state in the next one month.
The Director of the Infection Control, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and Chairman of the Risk Communication Committee on COVID-19, Prof Isah Abubakar, disclosed this in an interview with Newsmen in Kano on Sunday.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, had, at the PTF media briefing on Thursday, said Lagos State, with the highest cases of the virus, needed more bed spaces.
Ihekweazu, who stated that there were 3,500 bed spaces nationwide for COVID-19 patients, said Lagos was struggling to get bed spaces.
But on Friday, he said no state in the country had fully fulfilled the capacity required to address the outbreak of the virus.
Speaking on the state government’s efforts to combat COVID-19, Abubakar, in the interview said, “In the next one month, Kano is targeting 5, 000 beds to be provided at isolation centres in view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state.”
He said there were three fully equipped isolation centres with over 600 bed spaces in the state.
According to him, the isolation centres are Kwanar Dawaki, the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital and the Sani Abacha Centre.
He said the state government had also established six additional isolation centres which would commence operation to complement the existing ones.
Abubakar added, “The newly established centres expected to begin operation soon are at the Abubakar Imam Urology Hospital, Air Force Hospital, Murtala Mohammed Library, Daula Hotel, Sport Training Institute, Karfi and Kofar Mata Stadium.
“The isolation centre at the Kofar Mata Stadium, which has already been equipped with necessary facilities, will be ready for use by next week.”
