By Mayowa Olumuyiwa
Mixed reactions have trailed the latest case of COVID-19 in Ondo State as declared by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
A case in the southwest state made up the 387 fresh confirmed cases announced by the NCDC on Friday night.
While some natives questioned the state government’s resolve to reopen worship centres at a time the pandemic is on the rise, others welcomed the idea of going back to churches and mosques.
In a chat with KAFTANPost correspondent on Saturday, Commissioner for Health, Wahab Adegbenro, said: “the latest infection happened in the Owo local government of the state”.
Adegbenro also said the new case is the 25th, bringing the total number of active cases in the state to four.
It would be recalled that the Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu had in his last press briefing maintained that the state is not doing badly at curtailing the spread of the pandemic owing to a significant number of patients already discharged from the state Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH).
Among other revelations during his speech were the pronouncement that worship centres would now resume for Sunday worship and Friday Jumat prayer respectively.
The Commissioner, while speaking with our correspondent, said the patient, a male, has been taken to the IDH in Akure for relevant treatment.
Adegbenro further explained that the patient was picked from the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, after showing some symptoms of COVID-19 and later tested positive to the disease.
According to him, “He was admitted at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Owo. The hospital management called our attention after he showed symptoms of COVID-19.
“We took his sample and the result came positive yesterday (Friday) morning.”
He added that contact tracing of the patient has started in a bid to further prevent a community spread of the infection in Owo.
Sampling random opinions on the development, members of the public who spoke with KaftanPost correspondent were of the opinion that lifting the ban on religious gathering might be counterproductive, noting that it may fuel rapid community spread of the virus, irrespective of the guidelines stipulated for worshippers by government.
Others, however, maintained that religious obligations should not be a threat to the efforts made at curtailing the spread, noting that even markets and other public places where people frequent more are even of greater danger compared to worship places.
They are advocating for strict adherence to all laid down guidelines by worshippers.
