Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has inaugurated a 21- man task force on COVID-19 with Prof. Idris Mohammed as its Chairman.
Inaugurating the committee in Gombe on Monday, Yahaya said he had no doubt that the committee would achieve its mandate considering the caliber of its members.
He said the decision to inaugurate the committee was informed by the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country with the number of confirmed cases increasing from 22 to 30.
Yahaya said that the mandate of the task force was to assess the situation in the state in terms of the risk of the outbreak, occurrence and design a plan to prevent, contain and mitigate the consequences of such outbreak.
The task force is also to identify a suitable isolation centre for the management of moderate to severe forms of COVID-19 as well as equip the centres with required equipment including ventilators.
Its other responsibilities include ensuring availability of necessary consumables and other medical supplies for the management of COVID-19 in the state and also to identify and recommend to the government a laboratory in the state to upgrade for COVID-19 testing.
The task force is also expected to facilitate the training of relevant health workers in the state on the management and containment of the pandemic, among other things.
In his response, Mohammed, the Committee Chairman, thanked the government for finding the members suitable to carry out the assignment.
He said that although the task ahead of them was a difficult one, they would do everything possible to ensure that even if there was any outbreak, it would not cause devastation in the state.
“We will not leave any stone unturned in addressing the task before us. What we want is support from the public to enable us succeed,” he said.
Mohammed, a Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, expressed confidence in his members, adding that all the committee members were selected based on their track record.
He said he had no doubt they would carry out the assignment successfully. (NAN)
