The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the Bayelsa State government has inaugurated an emergency operations centre (EOC) equipped to track and control the spread of COVID-19 infection in the state.
Governor Douye Diri, who officially commissioned the operations response centre during a virtual ceremony in Yenagoa yesterday, commended the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, for assisting in combating COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Governor Diri, who was represented by the deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, acknowledged the support of US government in the state, saying the state-of-the-art facility which was constructed by the state government and upgraded by USAID was part of government efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
He explained that within three months of the response, over 2 million people have been tested for COVID-19 in the state, out of which over 282 have been found to be positive.
He added that the state has mandated the Ministry of Information to launch behaviour change communication programmes to address myths, misconceptions and negative beliefs exhibited by some indigenes of the state about COVID-19. On expansion of the response, the governor said the state was making effort to localize testing in order to combat the pandemic and flatten the curve.
The Bayelsa State is among the eight states emergency operations centres have been publicly commissioned after receiving the USAID-funded upgrades. Other states include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Cross River, Edo, Niger, Oyo and Kano.
The EOC is expected to support centralized, real-time monitoring and predictive modeling for enhanced coordination of activities as well as inform decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies.
It will also serve the citizenry by facilitating the seamless coordination and integration of the state government actions to both curb and contend the spread of the virus. The EOC upgrade is in line with Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) priorities to further strengthen the COVID-19 response in Nigeria. Accordingly, USAID has helped to expand the capacity of nine state emergency operation centres, with the addition of digital situation and communication rooms.
Bayelsa State currently has 282 COVID-19 cases while the number of cases in each of the neighbouring states of Rivers and Delta have gone over the thousand mark. The state remains in a position to minimize the impact of the virus with a dynamic and coordinated response focusing on surveillance and robust testing around the state borders.
US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, said “United States stands together with all of Nigerians in fighting COVID-19.
“As at today, we have dedicated more than $237 million to the COVID-19 response in Africa, with $48.9 million supporting these efforts in Nigeria alone.”
With funding from the USAID, the setting up of the communication call centre and COVID-19 situation rooms within the EOC was implemented by FHI360 SHARP TO2 project in Bayelsa in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government, State NCDC and Data Fi,” she said.
