By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The Cross River COVID-19 Taskforce Response Team has taken the fight against spread of the COVID-19 virus from Calabar, the capital city of the state to communities in Yakur Local Government Area of the state, where residents of the communities were sensitized on how to protect themselves against infection of the virus.
Addressing the community residents in Yakurr community yesterday, shortly before the commencement of the sensitization exercise, the chairman of the state COVID-19 Taskforce, who also doubles as the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Betta Edu, urged the community leaders to ensure that every household adheres strictly on COVID-19 protocols.
The COVID -19 tasksforce chairmnan stated that beyond COVID-19, communities need to get the right information about their health and ways to prevent diseases and death that is preventable.
The taskforce team, which also trained health workers in the LGA on how to managed their community residents suspected to have shown symthoms of the pandemic, urged the community leaders to take their destinies in their hands, with regards to adhering to COVID-19 protocols, stressing that is not every time that the taskforce/response team would be around to monitor how they behave.
Edu, who was received by the vice chairman of the council on behalf of the chairman, thanked Yakurr for the very warm reception and asked every one residing in the community to be part of the surveillance team so as to win the fight against spread of the virus.
She urged the surveillance team to do every thing that was humanly possible to ensure that those infected with the virus are brought to the facility for proper attention.
She said, “Indeed everyone should be part of the surveillance team in the local council. We have set up a sample collection site at the General Hospital Ugep, except we go back to our wards at regular intervals to look for suspected cases, the place will not have clients.
“We prevailed on community leaders to get involved in the fight against COVID-19, work with health workers, disease surveillance officers and the local government COVID-19 Taskforce, so that we can defeat the pandemic.
Apart from sustaining the fight against spread of COVID-19 pandemic, Edu urged the community residents to enrol in the Ayade Care, scheduled to take off fully in the council area in October this year, stressing that vulnerables in Yakurr will be covered at no cost, adding that resident of the local ciuncil with good means of livelihood shall subscribe for the health insurance scheme with a token amount of N1,000 only to enable them access the health insurance facility.
Edu added, “We are starting the implementation (enrollment) of Ayade Care in October. Vulnerables in Yakurr will be covered free, while the rest of us are expected to register, pay N1,000 a month and be part of the revolution to achieve Universal Health Care.
The newly inaugurated team subsequently accompanied the health commissioner to go into communities for the sensitization, distribution of face mask and sample collection, as part of their new roles going forward.
