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Fellow Lagosians,
It has become imperative to once again provide you an update on the
Coronavirus pandemic situation in Lagos State, and our ongoing response
as a State Government.
Starting around the end of March 2021, the second wave of the COVID
19 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.
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% at the end of June 2021 to its current rate of 6.6% 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
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isolation centres increased from an average of 1% to 6%. 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.
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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 4
public health laboratories in the State, a significant improvement in
capacity over the course of the past year.
Accredited Health Facilities
Let me make it clear that outside of the health facilities accredited for
the management and treatment of COVID-19, and the EKOTELEMED
program, no other health facilities, whether public or private, are
permitted to admit or attend to COVID-19 patients.
The Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency
(HEFAMAA) is providing monitoring and surveillance and has been
mandated to apply heavy fines and other punitive measures on all
facilities found to be in violation of this.
Lagosians should desist from patronizing non-accredited COVID-19
treatment centers, and proprietors should also ensure that all suspected
and confirmed cases are referred appropriately.
Vaccine Distribution and Access
One of the major tenets of our mitigation strategy against the 3rd 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
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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%. 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% COVID-19 vaccination coverage of the
population of Lagos State. We are confident that we will be getting a
second batch of vaccines very soon, to kick-start the second phase of
vaccinations.
Travel Protocols for in-Bound Passengers
Between 8th May 2021 and 7th July 2021, a total of 50,322 passengers of
interest arrived in Lagos via the Murtala Mohammed Airport. Of the
50,322 passengers, 18 percent could not be reached by EKOTELEMED
because of the provision of either wrong numbers or wrong Nigerian
contact details to be reached on.
It is the responsibility of passengers to ensure they provide the right
details for us to reach them for proper monitoring. Going forward,
passengers that do not provide the right details, including a phone
number they can be reached for monitoring and an address for isolation,
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will face serious sanctions including fines and imprisonment according
to our Lagos State Coronavirus Law of 2021.
Sanctions Against Quarantine Defaulters
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% have absconded.
The following sanctions are 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
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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.
Resisting Pandemic Fatigue
Whilst both the Federal and State Governments have a huge role to play
in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the responsibility of
managing the third wave ultimately belongs to all of us.
Without the cooperation of the public at large, we stand the risks of
losing both lives and livelihood, on a devastating scale. Therefore, I
would like to once again reiterate that this is not the time to get tired or
complacent. Instead we must be re-energized to battle this invisible and
seemingly relentless enemy.
After almost 18 months of daily confronting this virus, it is
understandable that many are tired and want their old, pre-pandemic
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lives to return. Unfortunately, we do not have a choice in this regard,
and fatigue is not an option. We cannot afford to be tired, frustrated or
distracted.
The enemy is formidable – and opportunistic. It will only go as far as we
allow it. Having triumphed over the first and second waves of the
pandemic, we must now find within ourselves new reserves of energy to
quell this emerging third wave before it snowballs out of control. Let me
assure us all that victory over COVID-19 is much closer today than at
any other point in our recent history. But we must persevere to see this
victory. We must maintain our vigilance even as we ramp up the
vaccination coverage.
At this point, I would like to thank all the members of the Incident
Command Structure for their resilience in the management of this never
ending pandemic, and also the Federal Government, through the
Presidential Steering Committee, for all their support and collaboration.
Lagos State will continue to work with all our partners, across
government and the private sector, to ensure that we permanently
triumph over this virus. We will not rest until this is achieved.
Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu
Incident Commander
July 11, 2021
