COVID-19: Sanwo-Olu calls for vigilance, personal responsibility as state records 6 deaths per day amid third wave 

Story from Kenneth AFOR, Lagos

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called on residents in the state for a more improved vigilance and personal responsibility in the continued fight against the deadly coronavirus.

The governor on Monday during his periodic briefing on the development of COVID-19 in the state at the State House in Alausa, Ikeja, confirmed that there had been a daily average of six deaths at isolation centres in the last one week.

According to him, there had been an eight-fold increase in infection rate in the state, resulting in 4,300 confirmed cases in July alone, while 352 patients were admitted into the State-run isolation facilities.

To this, residents have been urged to reactivate the preventive protocols to break the cycle of infection currently taking its toll in the State.

He said: “From the beginning of July, we started to experience an increase in the number of daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lagos, with the positivity rate going to from seven per cent at the end of July. As at August 1, the positivity rate rises to 8.9 per cent, which is an eight-fold increase over the recorded figure a month ago. This has resulted in 4,300 confirmed cases in July alone and 352 admissions into our isolation facilities. Essentially, we have recorded on average six deaths per day since last week. The situation at hand should rightly alarm all of us.

“Let me make it clear that this necessary sense of alarm should not be responded to with panic, but instead with firm resolve and determination to reverse the trend. We must dig deep into what we have learnt from the previous waves, as well as summon the will to do everything necessary in bringing down the numbers to eventually defeat the virus once and for all. We have done it before and we can do it again.”

As the country awaits the certification and approval for use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses by the National Agency For Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the governor who expressed a low vaccination rate in the state hinted to residents that the Moderna brand of the vaccines cannot be mixed with AstraZeneca especially for those who have taken the first dose of the latter and failed to return for the second dose adding that the country is still expecting another batch of the AstraZeneca vaccines.

He said: “The Moderna vaccine cannot be mixed with AstraZeneca. People who have already taken the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, cannot mix it with the Moderna vaccine that has just been received. We are still expecting the second allocation of the AstraZeneca vaccine before the end of August to vaccinate those who are yet to get the second shot. The distribution strategy would be based on appointment to avoid the exercise becoming a super spreader.”

In order to contain the spread of the third wave, the governor said there would be close monitoring of inbound travellers from the red-listed countries, warning that the Government would not hesitate to impose sanctions and penalties on those violating the mandatory self-isolation rules.

He said: “We have incontrovertible evidence that wearing face masks help in slowing down the spread of the virus, particularly the now more dominant strains. We are no longer inexperienced, as we have learnt a lot in 18 months into the pandemic. We have been able to finetune our strategies and response, and we are now in a good place to ensure that this third wave is the final one. But we must put in the work, the compliance, the regard for rules and restrictions.”

All existing rules and guidelines on social and public gatherings remained in place and must be obeyed, public and private establishments, entertainment spots and worship centres should continue providing sanitising materials while ensuring no person is allowed into their premises without the use of face masks, he admonished residents.