The University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, FCT, says it is ready and capable to manage any resurgence of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The Head of UATH Isolation Centre, Dr Vivian Kwaghe, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Gwagwalada.
Kwaghe said that the centre was designated to manage moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 in FCT, adding that the severe cases were well managed during the outbreak.
According to her, the centre was able to manage over 1,400 COVID-19 cases through its dedicated staff and donation of equipment from well-meaning Nigerians.
“Actually we were designated as the centre that managed the moderate to severe COVID-19 cases in the FCT. Being a teaching hospital of course, the severe cases were referred to this facility and we managed them.
“At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we didn’t have all these facilities and we were all scared of the disease that was ravaging the entire world.
“With the help of many Nigerians that came in to assist; we had donations from people like NNPC, Mainstream Energy Solution, NCDC and Ministry of Health.
“They brought in consumables, equipment to work with and medication to manage the patients among other donations.
“We succeeded because we had help, so many people that assisted us and with the dedicated staff we had on ground to manage the patients.
“We managed over 1,400 COVID-19 cases in this facility and our mortality rate was not compared to what it was projected to be,” she said.
However, she further revealed that some workers in the centre were infected but none died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said that managing the infection was easier now as the centre has gained a lot of experience and it’s not afraid of any outbreak that might come.
“By the Grace of God, no staff died of COVID-19 but we had staff that were infected with the disease and we have gained a lot of experience in managing COVID-19.
“We are not afraid of any outbreak that might come, we know that the new variant that is coming is nothing compared to the previous variant that we had.
“We are ready and capable to manage if we have an outbreak and we have had a number of research activities in partnership with Institute of Human Virology,” she said.
