*Two units shut
No fewer that 20 staff of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki(AE-FUTHA), Ebonyi state have tested positive for coronavirus since June 29.
This was contained in a circular from the office of the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee(CMAC) of the hospital, Dr. Richard Ewa dated June 29 and distributed to Head of Departments, Head of Units and staff of the hospital.
According to the circular, the first six confirmed cases in the hospital were those involved in the management of a patient who tested positive while the other 14 cases had no traceable contact to patients in the hospital.
The secular reads: “We want to inform all of us that the hospital recorded the first six confirmed cases among staff who were involved in the management of a patient who later turned positive.
“We have also recorded fourteen other confirmed cases that had no traceable contact to patients in the hospital, hence community transmission highly suspected.
“And all other staff are sent on self -isolation and are being monitored by the hospital surveillance and contact tracing team.”
It urged all staff of the hospital to apply basic NCDC protocols of infection prevention and control in and outside the hospital to protect themselves, their families, colleagues and communities at large.
Investigation revealed that AE-FUTHA 2 Laboratory Unit was shut down. Its Psychiatric Unit was also shutdown.