Anambra State Government today announced an Aid account to galvanize support from individuals and corporate organizations towards effectively battling the coronavirus challenge in the state.
The account is tagged “ANAMBRA STATE COVID-19 AID FIDELITY ACCOUNT NUMBER 5030112159.”
The announcement was made by the State Taskforce on COVID-19 at a briefing today at the State Government House in Awka.
Anambra COVID-19 taskforce was set up by Governor Willie Obiano with the mandate to prevent the spread of the virus in the state, to ensure that health facilities are prepared to handle emergencies in the event of an outbreak and to enforce full compliance with government’s directives and guideline on the virus.
As a follow-up to its constitution, the government had also announced a ban on all public gatherings earlier this week as well as shut down all markets, excluding food and drugs markets, by the 30th of March, 2020.
Briefing newsmen, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Solo Chukwulobelu said the floating of the account is to enable public-spirited individuals and organizations in the state to donate towards supporting government’s efforts in combating the pandemic.
“On Monday, the Governor convened a meeting of the taskforce which constituted the 22-member committee and co-opted additional people into the team. The team has been working and also identified the need for support to ensure that we as a state, keep our people safe from this pandemic. We are therefore appealing for funds and materials from our people,” Chukwulobelu said.
The SSG also appealed to well-to-do citizens of the state to assist the vulnerable among them make it through these trying times especially with the commencement of the bans and shutting down of people’s means of livelihood.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Vincent Okpala said the strength of the taskforce lies in the fact that there is no index case yet in Anambra State.
“We have put a lot of effort and energy in prevention so as not to allow the virus to enter the state and we are very fortunate that we have not picked any case yet. This is because we have shown a high level of vigilance. As a state, we started monitoring activities and mounting response to this pandemic since January 15th this year. The COVID-19 team is to sustain that strategy that has been working,” he said.
Okpala revealed that the team has done its projection and analysis, looking at the dynamics of the disease and the state’s preparedness towards handling its outbreak, adding that no single healthcare system in the country can effectively handle the pandemic without support from all.
“In Anambra State with its seven million people population, we are looking at about 2 million people getting infected and about 90,000 people needing hospital admission. With this, about 30,000 people may end up in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and about 20,000 needing ventilatory support. These are real numbers and no healthcare system in Nigeria can deal with those numbers. That is why we are reaching out to our people home and abroad to help support us in this work. This is beyond government,” he emphasized.
The Principal Secretary to the Governor, Willie Nwokoye advocated domestication of surveillance initiatives at the grassroots by the people, to provide the task force with the required information to act promptly.
“Our people know their territories. They know new entrants in their communities. What we are saying is that they take ownership of their safety by promptly availing government information to act and staying safe. That way, we can break the chain of transmission of the virus,” he added.
