The management of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has asked twenty-five (25) nurses working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital to go into compulsory isolation as the result for the COVID 19 test for a patient came out to be POSITIVE.
This 62-year old patient, a retired consultant Radiologist in Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos, was admitted in the private suites of the University College Hospital on account of Cancer of the prostate. He was said to reside in Lagos, with a travel history to the UK in December 2019.
The surgery was performed to remove the prostate cancer (Radical Prostatectomy) in UCH on the 14th of April 2020.
The patient suddenly developed respiratory distress in the private suites a few days after the surgery. After investigations, he was diagnosed with a background Eventeration of the left diaphragm, which necessitated another surgery (Splenectomy and diaphragmatic herniorrhaphy). So he was moved from the operating theatre into the Intensive Care Unit at 8:40 pm on the 21st of April. 2020.
All these while, no test was conducted to confirm the COVID-19 status of this patient. On getting to the ICU, the report reached the COVID-19 taskforce in Oyo State, who immediately came to take the sample of the patient for the COVID 19 test. Alas, the test came out to be POSITIVE yesterday (23rd April 2020).
Meanwhile, the ICU nurses and doctors who have no full PPEs to protect themselves, have been unduly exposed to the patient. The PPEs were supplied to the unit after the result came out positive.
Report reaching OYOMIND.COM.NG this morning has it that the patient is still in the ICU and has not been moved to the Infectious Disease Unit (IDU) of the hospital or any of the isolation centers in the state.
More so, the ICU itself was not in good shape as fans are actively at work, because the air conditioners have gone on vacation.
All the nurses and Doctors that had direct contact with the patient have been asked to go on isolation with immediate effect.
