BY SEYIFUNMI LUMEKO
Professor Akin Abayomi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, on Friday urged Nigerians to brace up for the arrival of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 as Yuletide approaches.
He explained during a briefing on Friday that the warning becomes necessary due to in flock of passengers from high-burdened countries.
His words: “Many Nigerians staying abroad will be returning home to celebrate Christmas with their families. Most of these people will be coming from countries where there is a heavy burden of COVID-19 and where we know the virus is changing and mutating.
“The potential drivers of the fourth wave in Lagos and Nigeria are passengers arriving, especially from heavy-burdened countries in Europe and the United States into Lagos. 86 per cent of all inbound flights into Nigeria come through Lagos.
“It is only inevitable that if passengers are travelling in large numbers from these countries where they are about to experience a fourth and fifth wave, we should expect some activities in Lagos as a result of these movements. At the current rate of the response across the country, we are likely going to encounter a fourth wave of the COVID19 pandemic in December 2021.
“The other problem we have in Lagos and Nigeria is that our rate of vaccinations has been quite low; it is just below three per cent, whereas our target should be over 40 per cent. Many countries around the world have exceeded 50 per cent of vaccination of eligible populations.
“At the current rate of the response across the country, we are likely going to encounter a fourth wave of the COVID19 pandemic in December 2021. Lagos State has only vaccinated about 2.6 per cent of its population, leaving it susceptible to a fourth wave. Fully vaccinated people with a vaccine breakthrough infection are less likely to develop the serious illness than those who are unvaccinated and get COVID-19
“About 360 health facilities have so far been identified for the administration of the vaccines in the next phase of Lagos State’s vaccination campaign. Of this number, 225 are public facilities, while 135 are private facilities.”
