Twenty students currently writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) being conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have tested positive for COVID-19 in Bayelsa State.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health Dr. Inodu Apoku stated this during a meeting of COVID-19 Task Force at Government House, Yenagoa.

According to Apoku, the 20 positive cases were among 600 candidates writing the examinations in the state that were screened.

But, WAEC has called on candidates infected with the COVID-19 writing the examinations not to panic, saying “the virus is not a death sentence”.

Its Head, Mr. Patrick Areghan, who stated this on Wednesday at the end of a monitoring visit to the Federal Government Boys College, Apo, Abuja, said no student infected with COVID-19 would miss the examinations.

“I want to assure you and the Nigerians that anywhere we have COVID-19 candidate, we make sure that he or she writes the examinations. It is not a death sentence, there is no stigma.

“We don’t want anybody to miss the exams. It’s no fault of theirs. We can defeat this disease provided we take first-line responsibility,” he said.

The WAEC Head of National Office in Nigeria said the council had been collaborating with various states’ ministries of education to look out for candidates infected with the virus.

According to him, when it happens, the ministry of education and the ministry of health in the state will have to come together and get a medical expert that will conduct the exam for the candidate.

Areghan said such a candidate would write the examinations in the isolation centre.