Governor of Lagos State , Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, has warned over the surge in the number of the recent cases COVID-19 infections in the state, Njenje Media News reports.
The governor, who disclosed this in a press statement he personally signed and made available to journalists to provide update on the coronavirus pandemic situation in the state and ongoing response of the state government, pointed out that 60,202 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in the state, warning that the general public risks losing both lives and livelihood on a devastating scale if it snowballs out of control.
He said, ‘’From the beginning of July, we started to experience a steep increase in the number of daily confirmed cases, with the test positivity rate going from 1.1 per cent at the end of June 2021 to its current rate of 6.6 per cent as at 8th of July 2021.
‘’The rapid increase within a week gives great cause for concern. Also, within the last two weeks, the occupancy rate at our two isolation centres increased from an average of one per cent to six per cent. This is the new and disturbing reality that now confronts us. But we must not be demoralized by this. We must instead resolve that we will not leave any stone unturned in our bid to effectively mitigate the third wave of this pandemic in Lagos State.
‘’As you all know, Lagos has been the epicentre of the pandemic since the start, and the way we manage it here has a significant impact and reverberating effect on the national outlook and outcomes. So, Nigeria is counting on us in Lagos State to be resolute in our stand against the virus.
‘’We will continue to test aggressively. We will also focus on sequencing the samples we are collecting to ensure we are detecting and keeping track of the different variants in circulation.
‘’It is only by testing and sequencing comprehensively that we can collect the data required for informed decision-making. Epidemiology Update As at the 7th of July 2021, Lagos State had recorded a total of 60,202 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
“Of this number, 55,135 have recovered in-community and 770 are currently being managed actively in-community. Over the course of managing the COVID-19 pandemic, about 4,382 patients have been admitted into our various COVID-19 care centres in Lagos: with 357 registered fatalities.
“In all we have tested 563,679 samples in Lagos State since the pandemic started. Today we have 30 accredited testing centers: 26 private and four public health laboratories in the state, a significant improvement in capacity over the course of the past year.’’
To curb the spread of the deadly virus, the governor said other sanctions were being recommended and have already been meted out to defaulters
‘’For Foreigners: Revocation of their Permanent Residency, and deportation; and For Nigerians: Prosecution to the full extent of the Lagos State COVID-19 Law. Religious activities greater vigilance is required at this time in our churches and mosques and other places of religious worship.
‘’Even as we are pleased that religious houses are now open for worship, after the lengthy closures of 2020, we must not allow ourselves to be carried away by the illusion that all is now back to normal. This is especially critical, as Sallah approaches, in a little over a week from now
“The festivities will no doubt bring people together in large numbers and create conditions that can sadly cause the spread of the Coronavirus. We must not allow this to happen. For this reason, we are mandating full compliance with all protective protocols. Compulsory use of masks in all public places, Social distancing, Temperature checks, Provisions for hand-washing and sanitizers, and a maximum of 50 percent occupancy in enclosed spaces,’’ he said.
