By Austin Ajayi, Yola
It was celebration for members of the Correspondent’s chapel Adamawa state when the result of their sample taken for corona virus test came out negative.
The joy was not for the two members who had contact with the first index case who is a colleague alone but for all the members of the chapel because the two members had contact with almost every other member in the cause of our duties.
Since the confirmation of the index case who is a very senior journalist in the state and a member of the Adamawa state Correspondent’s chapel , members were despised by the public and even some other colleagues.
A development that led to the closure of the office of correspondent’s in Deputy Governor’s office.
The state chairman of the NUJ had issued a directive that all the members of the chapel should go on self isolation for 14 days and the state Secretariat be lockdown to check the spread of the virus.
Some members who spoke with our correspondent expressed joy over the negative return of the test of the primary contact of the index case.
But regretted the stigmatization all of us went through in public and even with some other colleagues who are not correspondent’s chapel members.
Chairman of Correspondent’s chapel, Adamawa state Abdulihi Tukur expressed joy over the result said ” most of us never had contact with the index case but two of our members did and 98% of us also had contact with the two so you see were all affected ”
According to the chairman, some members of the public called us names and even make comments they don’t even know about the victim including some of our colleagues, though painful, this did not stop us from reporting updates on covid19 and other events in the state.
One of the first contact while explaining his ordeal said ” the last one week was the longest days of my life, I could not do anything, so many thoughts came into my head, my colleagues, their families, my family and a lot”.
“I got an insight on Sunday that our test was negative but because it was not official there was still fear now that the result is official, I thank God and I want use this opportunity to thank my colleagues and my family for their support, it was indeed a trying moment for me”
” I want to ask for the forgiveness of my colleagues for the stress I made them go through following my contact with the index case and with them as well, it has been my prayers that my test comes out negative even though I did not show any symptom throughout my isolation ”
The governor had in broadcast yesterday said the second case had no contact with the index case adding that five of the primary contact with the index case came out negative.
He noted that the index case is responding to treatment and he recovering fast..
A situation report by the State Ministry of Health indicates that the seven front line contacts of the first COVID-19 index case recorded in the state were tested negative to the virus.
The report which was co-signed by Dr. Pembi Emmanuel, state epidemiologist, and Dr. Jerry Pantuvo, World Health Organization’s (WHO) surveillance officer on April 26, 2020, stated that “Index case is a 47-year-old man who presented with cough, fever, and body weakness on his return from Kano on 14 of April 2020. The sample was collected on 18/04/2020,” Patient is stable with all vital signs return to normal.
