The Akwa Ibom State Government, Saturday announced the discharge of two of the 29 persons undergoing treatment for the dreaded COVID-19 from its medical facilities.

The State Incident Manager and Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong said those discharged have been certified negative by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control,NCDC, bringing to 16, the total number of those treated and discharged of the viral infection since the first set of cases were recorded on April 1, 2020.

Dr. Ukpong explained that Governor Udom Emmanuel has expended so much in healthcare delivery and in emergency operations, and that accounts for the 100% recovery rate currently being experienced in the state.

“Yesterday, you saw the magnificent 300 – bed facility that the Governor put up at Ituk Mbang, and I told people that it is going to compliment the services provided in the earlier facilities provided at Ikot Ekpene and the one here at the Ibom Specialist Hospital.”

Dr Ukpong also maintained that the activities of persons who sneaked into the state under the guises of bringing in livestock and other food items, probably accounted for the huge figures recorded in the last few days.

He said the increased number of cases in the state has also increased the contacts currently being traced in the state, and applauded the health management officials for being responsive and dedicated to their duties.

He maintained that the Governor had swiftly responded with a ban on movements of livestock into the state, as well as the installation of surveillance cameras at entry points into the state.

The Commissioner who was flanked by the Professor of Respiratory Medicine and former Chief Medical Director of University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Prof Etete Peters, revealed that there has been cases of people arriving the COVID -19 emergency center with other symptoms because of the free treatment offered by the state government.

“People with ulcer, diabetes and other medical conditions other than COVID 19 do approach the center and when we examine them and find out that it is not COVID 19, they start pleading that we should take them in because of the attention we give our patients. Some even ask for palliatives, but people must know that those emergency lines are strictly for COVID-19 emergencies", Ukpong added.

The State has so far recorded two deaths from the pandemic, from a total of 45 confirmed by the NCDC.