Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appealed to Lagosians to rain cautious as the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is upon the state and the nation at large.
The governor, who has been in isolation for the past 14 days, while receiving treatment for COVID-19, is presently out of isolation, having tested negative. He addressed the press at the Lagos House, Marina, Lagos on Thursday, thanking God for seeing him through.
Gov. Sanwo-Olu, who said COVID-19 is real also thanked the medical team for their care during the period and Lagosians for their prayers and concern throughout his isolation period.
The governor said he experienced mostly moderate symptoms, adding that “it was an experience I am very glad to have put behind me. I received very dedicated and competent care from the Lagos State COVID-19 treatment team, and I am extremely proud of the work that they do. They are a big part of the success story of the Lagos State COVID-19 response.
“I was fortunate to have had a relatively moderate COVID-19 experience. About one in every 10 persons who contracts the disease in Lagos State is not so lucky; they have to go into intensive care, and some of them do not make it out alive. For this reason, my gratitude is deep and profuse.”
He said the best way to be lucky is not to get infected at all, stating that “the cliché, prevention is better than cure should be a watchword for each and every one of us at this moment in time. COVID-19 is real and here with us and is not a respecter of anyone, or of social class, religious belief, or partisan affiliation.
“Not only is COVID-19 here with us, this second wave we are currently seeing is proving to be more ambitious than the first wave. We are seeing infection figures that are surpassing what we saw at the peak of the first wave, and just like then, Lagos remains the epicentre.
“As Nigeria’s most populous and denselypopulated city, and a centre of international trade and commerce, this is not surprising in any way. But, it is also the reason we need to exercise an abundance of caution.”
The governor appealed that gatherings, merriment and traveling which are all associated with the Christmas season contribute to the spread of the coronavirus, advising that “we must now seek to minimize as much of these activities as we can, at this time and going forward.”
He urged everyone to act responsibly and not to hide their status, adding that “you’re not doing only yourself a favour, you’re doing other people a favour, especially those among us who are elderly or medically vulnerable.”
The governor rolled out steps that must be taken by all and sundry during the Christmas period and into the New Year, which include that all persons feeling symptoms associated with the coronavirus must immediately isolate themselves and contact any of the public testing facilities where a test will be arranged free of charge.
“Please do not assume that you have a case of malaria or other illness. The default position should be to test for COVID-19 and rule this out, due to the easy transmissibility of the disease.
“Also, persons who have tested positive to the coronavirus must be open and honest with anyone they may have interacted with while infected, so that effective tracing can be done and exposed persons can take appropriate measures to self-isolate and not further spread the disease.
“We must not hide our status from the people we have been in contact with,” he appealed, revealing further that isolation centers have been activated again and that medical personnel are on ground even as there are thousands of home care packs for those who want to start their treatment regime from home.