60% of Oyo coronavirus cases linked to UCH – Makinde

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Monday, disclosed that close to 60 per cent of the COVID-19 cases in the state were linked to the University College Hospital, Ibadan.


Makinde made the disclosure during a programme on Fresh 105.9 FM, Ibadan tagged ‘COVID-19 Situation Room.’

The governor noted that although it was clear that all manners of people go for treatment at UCH, a high percentage of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state came from the hospital.

He said, “The three additional cases and the fatality that occurred in the state yesterday (Sunday) are all linked to UCH. Almost 60 per cent of the cases in Ibadan are linked to the place but I feel they have been a little bit defensive. I had reached out to the CMD.


“The Federal Ministry of Health has sent a letter to all federal tertiary teaching institutions to work with their respective states and we have opened a line of communication with UCH. It may not be fantastic but it is open and we are brutally frank with ourselves.

“Apart from us reaching out to the UCH management, we have asked them to bring somebody as representative to work on the COVID-19 committee and we are asking them to work with our Commissioner for Health on accreditation and setting up of isolation centres.”

According to him, where and when necessary, the administration may consider the possibility of walling off communities to ascertain the level and pattern of spread of the disease in the areas.

He disclosed that the state would embark on the distribution of palliatives to 120,000 vulnerable people of the state this week, stressing that the exercise would run concurrently in all the local government councils in the state.

On the decision to return the 1,800 bags of rice donated by the Federal Government, as palliative, the governor said, “We checked the bags of rice and we discovered that they were infested with weevils and unfit for human consumption.

“I called the Ekiti State Governor (Kayode Fayemi), who is the NGF chairman and he confirmed to me that they have similar problem. I read in the newspapers this morning that Ondo too has the same problem and wants to return theirs as well.

“Since we are not distributing the rice, we have to return it. I won’t use Oyo State money to destroy rice seized by Customs, they should destroy it themselves.”