COVID-19 3rd wave: Edo ramps up vaccination of more citizens as infections, active cases drop

Edo State has intensified the vaccination of more citizens with the COVID-19 vaccines to achieve herd immunity against the virus, contain the third wave of the pandemic, and ensure the health and safety of residents.

Head of Edo State COVID-19 Case Management, Dr. Osagie Ebomwonyi, disclosed this during the daily virtual meeting of the State COVID-19 Taskforce, chaired by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Ebomwonyi said the government’s effort at vaccinating the majority of its citizens with the COVID-19 vaccines was already yielding positive gains as fatality and infections from the virus have continued to reduce.

He noted that the state, in the last five days, collected 545 samples, confirmed 24 cases and two deaths, adding “there have been 385 discharges, as Edo currently has 97 active cases that are being managed at various treatment and isolation centres across the state.”

Reiterating the need for more residents to embrace the vaccination exercise to get full protection against the virus, the case manager said over 97 percent of all 92 fatalities recorded in the third wave of the pandemic in the state are people who were unvaccinated.

Ebomwonyi stated: “On the back of nuanced measures by the government to contain the third wave of COVID-19 including massive vaccination of majority Edo people, the state has continued to record a decline in infections and fatalities, as well as reduction in active cases and test positivity rate.

“To sustain the gains recorded in the fight against this common enemy of mankind, it is necessary for all citizens to get vaccinated and ensure strict compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions against the spread of the disease. This will ensure that Edo people are safe and protected from the deadly pandemic.”

For a better society