135 Killed, 70563 Infected As Lagos Nigeria Battles 3rd COVID 19 Wave

135 Killed, 70563 Infected As Lagos Nigeria Battles 3rd COVID 19 Wave

Not less than 135 Lagos residents have died as a result  of COVID-19 infection since the third wave of the pandemic began few weeks ago.

The state governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu revealed this today while updating residents on the situation from the State House in Ikeja Lagos.

The governor also disclosed that over 1,000 travellers from the Red-listed COVID-19 countries who came into Lagos have absconded from observing the mandatory seven-day isolation before mingling with the public.

Red-listed countries are India, South Africa, Brazil and Turkey. These countries are where the Delta variant of COVID-19 is mostly pronounced.

He said the test positivity rate, which measures how many tests are returning positive, out of every 100 tests conducted, currently stood at 12.1%; compared to 1.1% at the end of June 2021, and 7% at end of July 2021.

“As at the 21st of August 2021, Lagos State had recorded a total of 70,563 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of this number, 60,716 have recovered in-community, and 4,387 are currently being managed actively in-community.

“Over the course of managing the COVID-19 pandemic, about 5,551 patients have been admitted into our various COVID-19 care centres in Lagos, with 506 registered fatalities. Of these deaths, 135 have sadly, happened in this current third wave,” he stated.

The governor disclosed that between the 8th of May, 2021 and the 21st of August, 2021, a total of 88,847 people of Interest (POIs) have arrived in Lagos via the Murtala Mohammed International Airport. Of the 88,847 POIs, 1,073 have tested positive following arrival.

“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. As at 21st of August 2021, Lagos State has identified 5,998 of these persons and successfully isolated 4,500 of them arriving from the red-listed countries, while 1,094 have absconded.

“The COVID-19 protocols on mandatory isolation were put in place by the Presidential Steering Committee to protect the country from an imminent third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nigerians who disregard the protocols and abscond from isolation are directly putting the rest of the country at risk of unending waves of the pandemic,” he said.