Third Wave of COVID-19 Imminet, Sanwo-Olu Warns

….Says Only 1% of Lagos residents received second dose of vaccine

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday warned that the third wave of COVID-19 was imminent in the state, revealing that the state has started experiencing a potential third wave of the pandemic with dire consequences.

He said the state government would do everything possible to prevent a massive outbreak, threatening imprisonment of travellers who fail to release number through which they can be contacted.

“Starting around the end of March 2021, the second wave of the COVID19 pandemic in Lagos State began to wind down, and we began to enjoy some reprieve from the worst effects of the virus.

“This allowed us to further open-up the economy to allow the start of the journey towards full normalcy in our lives and the pursuit of livelihoods, after what has been a very difficult year. Regrettably, in spite of the hard work and dedicated efforts towards sustaining the return to normalcy, over the last three months, we are now finding ourselves at what appears to be the start of a potential 3rd wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, in Lagos State.”

“Also, within the last two weeks, the occupancy rate at our isolation centres increased from an average of 1 per cent to 6 per cent. This is the new and disturbing reality that now confronts us.

“But we must not be demoralised 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. 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.

“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.”

Giving the epidemiology update, Sanwo-Olu said “As at July 7, 2021, Lagos 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.”

He urged residents to desist from patronizing non-accredited COVID-19 treatment centers, and proprietors should also ensure that all suspected and confirmed cases are referred appropriately.

Sanwo-Olu continued: “One of the major tenets of our mitigation strategy against the third wave is our vaccination campaign, similar to other parts of the world. It has been observed by various credible studies that those that have received their vaccines have demonstrated significant resistance to the effects of the virus, with fewer associated complications and deaths.

“As of today, however, the percentage of residents of Lagos who have received two (2) doses of the vaccine stands at a mere 1 per cent. We recognise that this is not adequate, and given the imminent third wave, and our priority to reduce COVID-19 related deaths, we are exploring all avenues possible to ramp up access to vaccination so as to reach our herd immunity target of at least 60 per cent COVID-19 vaccination coverage of the population of Lagos.

“We are confident that we will be getting a second batch of vaccines very soon, to kick-start the second phase of vaccinations.”

On travel protocols for inbound passengers, the governor gave a record that, “Between May 8, 2021, and July 7, 2021, a total of 50,322 passengers of interest arrived in Lagos via the Murtala Mohammed Airport. Of the 50,322 passengers, 18 per cent could not be reached by EKOTELEMED because of the provision of either wrong numbers or wrong Nigerian contact details to be reached on.

“Going forward, passengers that do not provide the right details, including a phone number that cannot be reached for monitoring and an address for isolation, will face serious sanctions including fines and imprisonment according to our Lagos State Coronavirus Law of 2021.

“As dictated by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC), passengers from red-listed countries (India, South Africa, Brazil and Turkey) are required to observe mandatory isolation. So far, we have successfully isolated 2,386 passengers in Lagos State. Of this number, 15 per cent have absconded.