Liberia: Lab Director at NPHIL Uses Fake Name, Tests Positive for COVID-19

Monrovia – Benjamin Soko, an employee at the National Public Health Institute reportedly suspected he had COVID-19 when he decided to walk in at the testing center at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville last Friday.

The SKD is being used as a Tissue Factory to test for the deadly virus.

For Soko, the only problem is when he got to the testing center, he reportedly solicited the help of Mr. John Dogba, a laboratory technician at NPHIL to assume a fake identity in order to conceal his identity in the event his instinct came through.

Using the name Benjamin C. Tokofo, Soko’s worst fears became a reality, his test came back positive.

Soko, FPA has learned works in the Environmental Division at NPHIL and frequented the Roberts International Airport where he may have interacted with a lot of travelers arriving and departing Liberia.
While all of those who walked in for test provided testers with phone numbers, Soko did not.

The stats obtained by FrontPageAfrica for April 10 at the SKD showed a total of 47 samples were collected with a total of twelve come back positive and fifteen listed for reruns.

Positive tests for that day covered residents from Duport Road, 14th Street Sinkor, ELWA, Congotown, Sinkor, Old Road, Brewerville and the St. Joseph Compound Hospital.

FPA is not publishing the names of the others who went in for testing that day in keeping with a controversial new policy from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the NPHIL.

Mr. Mosoka Fallah, head of the NPHIL did not return a message seeking comment Monday, but FPA has learned that the institue is contemplating firing the duo involved in the alleged attempt to deceive.
Some staffers, confiding to FPA said they were notified last Saturday about the positive test but it is still unclear whether they were informed about the deception.

The issue is just the latest to a lingering controversy regarding whether or not the names of those who test positive should be made public.
Recently, Information Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe and Health Minister Wilhelmina Jallah were are loggerheads on the issue.

Said Minister Jallah: “The critical issue we have now is for us to do effective contact tracing and for that to happen we have to utilize some measures that are not utilized during normal times. This pandemic means war. With the capacity of our health system that we know and still building to be resilient; if we allow this virus to spread in a way that sees it progressing then the entire existence of our nation is threatened. Therefore, we have to use drastic measures.”

Minister Nagbe countered: “The minister is a health practitioner and she took an oath, a Hippocratic Oath. I did not take it. So, I will call all the people names so that I can take the responsibility to help our contact tracers. I did not take a Hippocratic oath but we have decided for communication purposes for us to go forward.”

Supporters for calling of names say it helps authorities track contacts faster while other citing privacy issues have frowned on the practice.