At least 10 doctors and nurses working at the Gwarinpa General Hospital, Abuja, have been asked to go into self-isolation after a patient who was being prepped for surgery tested positive for COVID-19, Bluebloodz.com reports.
This is just as four doctors in Wuse District Hospital have also gone into isolation following exposure to two Covid-19 patients in the hospital, the Association of Resident Doctors has said.
It was learnt that the patient at the Gwarinpa hospital had been admitted for intestinal obstruction and was to be wheeled into the theatre last Thursday.
During his admission at the hospital, about 10 doctors and nurses on duty had contact with the patient “directly or indirectly”.
However, before the surgery could begin, he was said to have started coughing profusely thereby causing a scare among health workers.
A health worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said,
“A patient visited our hospital last week and he was examined by a doctor. He was diagnosed with intestinal obstruction and was placed on admission pending a surgical operation. He was given drugs and fluid.
“He was supposed to do the surgery on Thursday but he started coughing profusely so we began to have suspicions. He was questioned about his health status and then he revealed later that his brother had just tested positive for COVID-19.
“He was isolated at the ward and a COVID-19 test was administered on him. The next day, his test came back positive. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has evacuated him while the hospital has been decontaminated.”
The official revealed that the hospital management asked about 10 doctors and nurses to go into self-isolation.