The Lagos State Government has placed the United States and 13 other countries on close surveillance, to prevent a third wave of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The other countries are: Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Togo, South Africa, Canada, France, Germany, Uganda, the Netherland, Cameroun, Angola and Rwanda.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, made the disclosure yesterday at a briefing on the state’s COVID-19 update and preparation against the third wave, insisting that preventing the importation of the mutants was the best way to adopt.
“We are preparing and building resistance, but if the third wave enters, the state would prevent it from going into the community,” he promised.
Besides India, Brazil and Turkey that already have federal attention, Lagos State said it would closely monitor passengers from the 13 countries listed above.
Abayomi also disclosed that the state had received new 57,000 vaccines from the Federal Government, which it had started administering.
The commissioner said with the new doses, 27,000 more residents would receive the jabs.
“In Lagos, we have experienced the first and second waves. We are looking at the factors that could possibly trigger the third wave,” he noted.
He identified laxity among citizens, false sense of security and non-adherence to guidelines as likely factors encouraging the third wave.
In his contribution, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said Governor Bababjide Sanwo-Olu had implored residents to remain calm and adhere to non-pharmaceutical protocols.
In a related development, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has urged the Federal Government to revamp local vaccines’ production (LVP) to check over-dependence on foreign nations.
