CoronaVirus Updates
Lagos to see rise in COVID-19 cases, deaths in July, August – Abayomi
BY NICHOLAS ABE
Lagos State Government said the reported positive cases of COVID-19, as well as fatalities, are expected to increase in the next two months as it continued to battle with the spread of the virus in the state.
The Deputy Incident Commander who is also the state’s Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, stated this during a press briefing on Friday, while giving an update on COVOD-19 situation in the state.
According to the Commissioner, “We have not reached the peak period of the reported cases and deaths of COVID-19. But within the next two months, we are likely to see increase in cases in Lagos.
“Lagosians who feel unwell with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 are increasing but not dramatically out of control.”
He explained that the Ministry will commence home-based treatment and deployment of telemedicine for mild cases, while only severe cases will be taken to the isolation centres, adding that plans are on to increase the number of accredited private hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 cases.
Abayomi said the government was providing psychosocial support to front line health workers and patients while appealing to residents against stigmatising the patients.
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He stated that the state was going through community transmission and called on residents especially the vulnerable to always adhere to social distancing and other preventive measures in order to flatten the curve.
While revealing strategies to flatten COVID-19 curve, he stated that the number of test conducted by the state was not enough and that to boost it, five private laboratories would be accredited for testing of samples, saying, what is left is logistics to complete their registration “and when those facilities start work next week, we would be testing more than any state in the country.”
The commissioner, who raised concerns over the number of cases recorded in Alimosho Local Government, said that the five additional facilities would increase the number of private firms accredited for treatment to eight.
According to Abayomi, the accreditation of the five private hospitals would boost treatment of COVID-19 cases in Lagos.
He said: “Under the distribution of cases by local government, Eti-Osa Local Government continues to have the highest number of reported cases of COVID-19 in Lagos State, followed by Mainland and Ikeja councils, respectively.