The Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Thursday disclosed that there was a shortage of bed spaces to accommodate COVID-19 patients in isolation centres.
Worst hit by the shortage is Lagos State which is the epicentre of the pandemic in the country.
Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, who disclosed this during the daily update on COVID-19 by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said Kano State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are also affected by the shortage.
According to Ihekweazu although there are about 3,500 bed spaces available across the country, they were insufficient leaving the infectious disease control agency to struggle.
He said: “In response to the question about bed spaces. There is no doubt about that, we are struggling in certain places especially in Lagos. To an extent Kano and Abuja too but the biggest challenge right now is in Lagos where bad spaces are really tight.
READ ALSO: COVID 19: Benue Govt Approves Another 100m For Committee, Gets 200 Bed Isolation Center
“Across the country we have about 3500 bed spaces identified as available for COVID-19 but in Lagos we are really struggling. So, we are going to keep trying to work with them to make more spaces available and ultimately.”
Ihekweazu noted that as a result of challenge, NCDC might start treating some patients at home.
“We might have to change our strategy a little bit and start considering home care in certain circumstances where the person is able to provide a room where a patient can be managed sufficiently and secondly, we are able to support the care by enabling healthcare workers come to that.
“We will always be honest with Nigerians, we are struggling at the moment, we might have to adapt that strategy because of the reality we have to face over the next few days and weeks,” he said.
