Third-wave: COVID-19 kills 355 in one month
…Cases surge in Rivers, Lagos, others
By Moses Adeniyi & Uthman Salami
With the outbreak of COVID-19 third wave, investigation by Nigerian NewsDirect revealed that Nigeria recorded no less than 355 death fatalities in the last one month.
Investigation by Nigerian NewsDirect also revealed that cases of deaths in Lagos, the state with highest infected patients in the last one month has increased as the state government recently said overstressed isolation centres.
Figures obtained from the official website of the Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) revealed death cases as at August 4, 2021 was 2167 but increased by 355 or 16.4per cent to 2522 as at September 4, 2021.
According to NCDC, total confirmed cases also increased by 11 per cent or 19,041 to 195,052 cases as at September 2021 from 176,011 cases as at August 4, 2021, while discharged patients rose by 10.4 per cent or 17,255 to 182,463 from 165,208 reported by NCDC as at August 4, 2021.
Further findings revealed that Lagos cases top the chart, followed by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as cases in Rivers rose significantly in the one month under review.
The third wave of the pandemic has no doubt hit Lagos proper and while it has not been as disruptive as the first and second waves, it has led to the reintroduction of restrictions and forced the management of the University of Lagos to send students home.
According to NCDC, the cases of COVID-19 in Lagos hit 73,721 cases, an increase of 13.45 per cent from 64,978 reported as at August 4, 2021.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in August raised an alarm over the increasing figure of COVID-19 in the state and warned foreigners who violate guidelines that they risk deportation.
He that, “We have, sadly, recorded 390 fatalities in Lagos State, 30 of which have taken place in this current third wave of the pandemic. Essentially, we have recorded on average six deaths per day since last week.”
For Rivers, COVID-19 cases rose by 38 per cent to 10,763 as at September 4 from 7,787 while cases in FCT also rose by 3.3 per cent to 20,674 from 20,021 it was in early August.
While cases in Kaduna remain flat at 9,275, an increase of 0.9 per cent from 9,188 reported by NCDC as at August 4, 2021 as Plateau cases inched up by 1.12 per cent to 9,214 from 9,112 reported last month.
With the growing cases in Nigeria, health experts in a chat with Nigerian NewsDirect urged massive participation in the current COVID-19 vaccination that is taking place across the county.
They called on the Federal Government to partner with Chinese government to open COVID-19 vaccines production company in Nigeria in order boost local production.
However, the NAFDAC has insisted that any mixture local herbs produce must be accepted especially by WHO.
The public Relations Officer, NAFDAC, Mr. Sayo Akintola in a chat with Nigerian NewsDirect said, “Whatever anyone comes up with has to pass through NAFDAC. This is because NAFDAC is saddled with the responsibility to ratify and sanctify anything anyone comes up with.
“The herbal has to pass through NAFDAC clinical trial. If it does not pass through NAFDAC clinical trial, it can never be recognized by the Agency.
“But what we insisted on is that locally manufactured COVID-19 vaccine has to pass through clinical trial and subjected to due process such as pre-clinical trial and whatever stages of the trials involved in sanctifying the mixture.”
Akintola added that “once the trial becomes successful, then it becomes globally acceptable. It can’t be something just for Nigerians and Nigerian alone. It has to be globally accepted by everybody. That is where WHO comes in.”
Speaking from a different perspective on the safety of foreign vaccines, Dr Peter Dada in a chat with our correspondent said, “Nigerians should not be sceptical about the vaccine as it is proven safe by World Health organization, among other health agencies.
“The increase vaccination across the country stands as the only means to reduce COVID-19 deaths and tackle the virus.”
Another Doctor, Mr. Adewale Segun said Nigerians’ participation in the vaccination in some states not encouraging, calling on state government to support the federal government directive on civil servants.
“The federal government last week disclosed its plans to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all federal civil servants.”
According to him, the government must collaborate with National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to develop a local vaccine.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, who doubles as the chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC), said the COVID-19 vaccination will be compulsory for federal civil servants once vaccines are available for everyone.
“You should, in the course of this meeting, deliberate on the challenges caused by vaccine hesitancy all over the country. It is expected that you will come with policy alternatives as solutions.
“Let me state, however, that federal government shall, very shortly, unveil its decision on mandatory vaccination for every employee in its service.”
He said the country did not have sufficient vaccines at the moment and so will not institute the mandatory vaccination immediately.
“One of the reasons, why we want to do that with the federal civil service, is because they will be travelling on behalf of the nation.
“Assuming the American government said, you can’t come into their country unless you’re vaccinated? So you have to be vaccinated. It’s a sequential thing and we are taking one step at a time, because, we realize we don’t have sufficient vaccine in the country at the moment,” he said.
