Why cases of COVID-19 is rising in Lagos – Gov Sanwo-Olu

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has explained the reason for the continuous increase in total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lagos State.

He said it is an evidence of the success of the State’s evolving strategy of ramping up testing by going into local communities.

The Lagos State Incident Commander, while giving an update on coronavirus in the state, recalled that the state had recently set up sample collection centers across the 20 Local Government Areas.

The goal of the expanded testing, he said, is to take testing closer to the people, by making it easier for those who fall into the ‘case definition’ to have their samples collected.

“As we implement these strategies, and take testing deeper into our neighborhoods and communities, we expect that we will see more positive cases. I must use this opportunity to commend all the teams who are carrying out this active community case search,” he said.

Lagos, on April 19, 2020, recorded 70 new cases, bringing to 379 the total number of confirmed cases in the state.

Eighty-six new cases of #COVID19 have been reported;

70 in Lagos
7 in FCT
3 in Katsina
3 in Akwa Ibom
1 in Jigawa
1 in Bauchi
1 in Borno

As at 11:50 pm 19th April there are 627 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria.

Discharged: 170
Deaths: 21 pic.twitter.com/7gsnusWRow

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) April 19, 2020

According to the Governor, eight out of the newly confirmed 70 cases originated from the neighboring state.

He also disclosed that the 67 Nigerians, who wanted to return to the country through the Seme border and were quarantined at the isolation center in Badagry upon arrival at the border two weeks ago, have all tested negative to the virus and will be discharged from the facility on Tuesday 21 April, 2020.

“Conversely, we also had a second batch of 23 returnees through the Seme Border; of which two have tested positive and have been moved to an isolation center,” he noted.

Stigmatisation, a big issue

Sanwo-Olu, however, lamented that some people who are suspected of having the virus have declined to present themselves for testing and treatment because of fear of being stigmatised.

He, therefore, appealed to members of the society to desist from stigmatising anyone who had been cured of this virus.

He said: “There is absolutely no reason to do that. Once they have been certified as being virus free, they are free to rejoin the society and should not be discriminated against.

“We have had instances where people, who are suspected of having the virus, have declined to present themselves for testing and treatment, more often than not, opting to manage their symptoms by themselves or in extreme cases going to private hospitals and lying about their symptoms or travel history.

“These actions are extremely unfortunate and dangerous. Not only do they have wide ranging ramifications on everyone, it also portends great consequences on our ability to record any meaningful gains from this lockdown that we have all been subjected to.

“The isolation centers are not death centers. We have had many positive and uplifting stories from those who have been discharged from our facilities; they are being treated and discharged,” he said, noting that, the earlier the diagnosis, the greater the chances of making a full recovery.

He reassured that COVID-19, despite its contagious nature, is not a death sentence while he implored all those who have tested positive for the disease or are suspected to have contracted the disease not to be afraid of presenting themselves to the isolation facilities for expert management with a variety of treatment options available.

Commenting on the trend of discharging patients, the Governor said that the State is maintaining 25-30 percent rate of discharged cases.

“The work to increase our capacity for isolation and treatment is also ongoing; we are opening new isolation centers at Eti-Osa and Gbagada General Hospital, which will take our total capacity to almost 600, including 30 Intensive Care beds,” he added.