The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, has warned that there may be another coronavirus wave after the third one currently witnessed.
He said this while receiving medical equipment and consumables from two corporate entities for the effective management of the third wave of COVID-19 in the state.
The commissioner noted that the Lagos State Government is undergoing stress in both human and material resources as well as finance and economy because of the COVID pandemic.
He added that donations and support from the private sector and partners have always helped to ensure that the State is a step ahead of the virus.
While noting that the State is not out of the woods yet, the Commissioner stated that it is important to bear in mind that the virus is going around in circles.
He emphasised that it is not certain if the third wave is going to be the last wave, stressing that the fight against the infection is a shared responsibility that must be borne by all if the State is to triumph.
He said, “We are happy that you recognize that we are not out of the woods yet. COVID is going around in circles and waves, and as you know we are in our third wave now, we don’t know whether this will be the last wave or whether we are going to learn to live with COVID as a factor of life. We are very grateful that you recognized that the battle is still on.
“Our objective is two-faced, public health of our citizens and the economy. As a government, it is our responsibility to ensure that both our citizens and economy are healthy. So it is a delicate balance between managing a public health crisis and managing the economy.
“Some of these devices here are useful in terms of assessing the magnitude of systemic damage on the body and helps us to define the treatment we should adopt. As you know we are managing most patients at home because we are diagnosing thousands of patients and there is no room to keep all patients in a formal isolation centre which is not unique to Lagos.
“So, some of these devices will help us to know which patients should stay at home and which patients should be moved to the isolation centre.”
