The Covid-19 virus strikes another Southeast Governor, David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi state, after his Abia State counterpart, Okezie Ikpeazu.
The Ebonyi chief executive tested positive for COVID-19, State Information Commissioner Uchenna Orji disclosed in a statement released this morning of 4 July 2020.
He is the second South East Governor to catch the contagion, after Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State was diagnosed positive on 8 June 2020.
Commissioner Orji also disclosed that some aides of the Ebonyi State Governor have also tested positive but he did not disclose their identities.
The governor has directed Kelechi Igwe, his deputy, to take over the coordination of the state’s fight against the pandemic.
Umahi, who said he is not showing any symptom at the moment, appealed to the people of Ebonyi to take the NCDC protocols more seriously.
He said for now, he would work from home and attend meetings virtually.
After sending his sample for test, Umahi had said his deputy would coordinate the fight against COVID-19 if his result came back positive.
“If I test positive, my deputy will carry on with the fight as a frontline worker, but we will be extremely careful and use zoom to do our jobs. No retreat, no surrender! We will fight this COVID-19 matter to the end,” he had told cabinet members in Abakaliki, the state capital.
“We will have the public hearing on our proposed plan of the COVID-19 fight next week and either me or my deputy will head the meeting, and I will contribute through zoom, if I test positive.”
According to the NCDC, Ebonyi has recorded at least 438 cases of the virus, as of last night, out of which 357 persons have been successfully treated and discharged while three have died.
Following up on other reports by Enugu Metro, Governor Umahi is the seventh governor in Nigeria to be attacked by the virus.
Meanwhile, the Abia State Government, in a statement this morning, confirmed that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has successfully beaten the virus.
In a terse statement, Information Commissioner, John Okiyi Kalu said: “To God the glory of God, repeat COVID-19 test conducted by Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) on samples submitted by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu on Thursday, 2nd July, 2020, returned negative result on Friday, 3rd July, 2020.”
Covid-19 strikes Ebonyi Governor Dave Umahi
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