Aid worker who died of COVID-19 in Borno ‘had no travel history’

The United Nations says the aid worker who died of complications from COVID-19 in Borno had no travel history outside the state.

Edward Kallon, the UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, said efforts are being made to trace anyone the deceased may have come in contact with.

TheCable had reported that the aid worker who was showing symptoms of coronavirus died shortly after being admitted at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

Kallon said in a statement on Monday that the deceased was “devoting his life to treating vulnerable internally displaced persons who have lost everything during the conflict raging in the north-east”.

“He had no travel history outside of Borno State and made the ultimate sacrifice,” he added.

“Aid organisations, under the lead of the World Health Organisation (WHO), are working closely with the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Borno State Government, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, to trace anyone whom the nurse may have been in contact with in Borno State, and to bolster measures to prevent the spread of the virus and protect IDPs and communities in Borno State.”

The UN coordinator added that quarantine facilities are being set up across the state by aid workers, in support of Borno state authorities, and “particularly at all points of entry from neighbouring countries”.

He said a COVID-19 treatment facility and a testing laboratory have been established in Maiduguri and a second treatment facility is being developed.

He also called for support for the millions of vulnerable persons in the north-east, saying: “Nearly 8 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian aid in the conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, with many depending on assistance to survive.

“Functional health facilities, especially in remote locations in Borno State, are scarce and over 3 million people urgently need food assistance.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting many areas in Nigeria, it is essential for the most vulnerable to continue receiving humanitarian aid, including water and soap or substitute solutions.”