PHOTO: Pleebo Health Center, where County’s Health Team says a man was tested positive
By Charles Gbayor, maorethason1997@gmail.com
PLEEBO, Liberia- A 24-year-old man, yet to be identified, but a college student has been tested positive for the Coronavirus pandemic in Pleebo Sodoken District, Maryland County, over 611 kilometers from Monrovia.
This news comes on the same day, Friday when the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases went up to 117, just less than 24 hours after a previous Update of 105 cases were reported on Thursday.
Dr. Methidous George, the County’s Health Officer said on Friday, April 24, 2020 that the County Health Team recorded six suspected cases of COVID-19, since the outbreak of the pandemic in Liberia.
Dr. George said of the six suspected cases in this southeastern county, five were tested and proven negative by Health authorities in the Country, after their Specimens were sent to Monrovia.
“But later this morning, I received a call from my boss saying that a confirmed case of the pandemic was recorded at the Pleebo Health Center. That is a
24-year-old man of Pleebo City Zone-5 who has been tested positive of Coronavirus,” Dr. George told Journalists.
“The Patient is at the Pleebo Health Center and he’s undergoing treatment at that Health facility. He is a University student and lives here in Pleebo. We have our Contact tracer’s in the field working they have his name and house number even those whose names he has called that he associated with so calling his name is not medically necessary,” Dr. George explained.
The Maryland County Health Officer informed Journalists that the 24-year-old man left Monsterrado County’s Thinker Village on April 8 2020 and arrived in Pleebo Maryland County on April 11, 2020.
Dr. George noted that the man had spent one week in the Community and the following Saturday night 18 of April visited the Pleebo Health Center and later returned home. And on Sunday, the 19 of April he visited the Pleebo Health Center again and showed signs and symptoms, including weakness, difficulties in breathing (Fast Breathing) and was sweating profusely and he was attended to by Nurses at the Health facility.
“Because of His travel history he was placed in Isolation and the Team of Laboratory technician whose are qualified in the taking of specimen came to Pleebo Health Center withdraw his specimen and was sent to Monrovia they result came back today April 24 2020 Positive of COVID-19 this means that we have a comfrimed Coronavris Pandemic case in Maryland,” said the head of the Maryland County Health Team.
He further explain that it is a difficult task now ,we all need to work together ,we are calling on Community dewllers especially the Community he came from to not panic and be able to reveal the history because if they conceive any information we might have more than one case.
Initially, it was difficult getting information from the victim, most at time when people are sick because of stigmatization getting relevant information is hard and difficult, Dr. George said. But he said they try and persuaded him and he was a bit free to give some information to us.
“It is still in process and we are still interviewing him, we are still gathering information. It will take couples of Days so that he will be able to tell us all about himself and who he have associated himself with,” Dr. George explained.
The Maryland County Health Office has disclosed the County Health Team has the names of those who interacted with him at the Health Center and will have them quarantined. And their specimens will be taken and sent to Monrovia at the National Public Health Institute of Liberia and the Ministry of Health for testing, in order to see whether they are Coronavirus free.
Getting a Quarantine Center is a challenge for the Maryland County Health Team. But with the help of the County’s Superintendent, the County’s Health Officer said they have now been given the Cape Plamas High School in Harper to be used as a Quarantine Center.
But for Pleebo, he said they are contacting the local Authority in the District for the immediate renovation of the Old Merci Building to be used for Isolation or Quarantine in Pleebo.
Speaking on a local Radio Station in Pleebo, Hope FM, Dr. George appealed to the citizens and residents of Maryland County to work with the Health workers collaboratively, so that they we can reduce the spread of this killer virus.
“Please visit the Health Centers and Hospital in the County to do your test voluntarily and please don’t hide any information from us…” Dr. George added.