The Vice-Chancellor, University of Medical Sciences, UNIMED Ondo, Prof Adesegun Fatusi has said that the Ondo state government is looking beyond COVID-19 pandemic in tackling infectious diseases in the state.

He said this while receiving the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC team who was in the state to support the government against Coronavirus disease.

Leading the team to inspect the project site of the Molecular Biology and Medical Genomics Laboratory, Fatusi spoke on the isolation ward in the hospital, adding that it was built to the specification of the World Health Organisation.

The Molecular and Medical Genomics Laboratory, which is the first of its kind in the state and the isolation ward within the complex of the UNIMED Teaching Hospital, according to Fatusi are of world class.

He said that the Containment laboratory which also stands within the complex would take care of highly infectious related diseases which, to him are part of the proactive measures of the government.

The NCDC team led by an officer in Surveillance Department, Mrs. Adejoke Akano expressed satisfaction on the project saying, part of the mandate of NCDC is to detect diseases of public importance.

“Ondo state, setting up molecular Biology Laboratory is a core part in the process to increase testing capacity,” she noted.

The Acting Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jibayo Adeyeye in his remark said Lassa fever is a bigger problem in the state than COVID 19 as he disclosed that from January till date, 80 people had died from Lassa fever while 31 had died from COVID-19.