Breaking: Ogun NYSC camp records 35 COVID-19 cases

About 35 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 at the National Youth Service Corps camp in Sagamu, Ogun State.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing newsmen on the upsurge of the third wave of COVID-19.

Before now, at least 109 prospective corps members were reportedly diagnosed with COVID-19 across NYSC orientation camps nationwide.

On Thursday, the state commissioner said some of those who tested positive had been confined to the isolation centres, while others were on home management.

 

“The number of NYSC members that have tested positive is 35. Some are on home management, while some are at the isolation center,” she said.

Coker expressed concern that Ogun had recorded a rise in cases since the beginning of August, with at least 7 to 16 cases per day.

She said, “Ogun State has continued to record a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, with a six-fold increase in admissions into the isolation centre compared to what was recorded two months earlier.

“In the month of June 2021, there were only two cases giving a positivity rate of 0.04% while the month of July had a sharp rise of 96 cases with positivity rate of 7.4%.

“The first three days in the month of August has also seen a rise in positivity rate of 14.6%. Isolation Ward at OOUTH which had only 2 admissions in June currently has 12 persons on admission whilst isolation ward at Ikenne has 35 admissions with 71 on home management.

“Death rate had remained relatively static at 50 till July 15 after which we recorded 7 deaths in the last two weeks.

“In the last one week, there has been a sharp rise in new cases from 7 per day to 16 per day.”

Coker also disclosed that only a small fraction of the state’s population had been vaccinated.

She urged the people to embrace vaccination, saying, “Our observation so far is that all mortalities are in the unvaccinated.”

She also said the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, would was impressed with the cooperation of the people in making the phase one COVID-19 vaccination a huge success with a total of 126,631 vaccinated for the first dose which translated into 136 per cent of the target population.

She added that 57,453 people were vaccinated for the second dose.

Coker said, “The foregoing figures represent a very small fraction of our population in Ogun State and to achieve herd immunity in the State we must vaccinate at least 70% of the population.

 

“In order to achieve the above another opportunity has come with the commencement the 2nd phase of the vaccination of the vaccination exercise across the twenty LGAs this month.

 

“Let me also seize this opportunity to encourage everyone 18 and above that is yet to be vaccinated to present themselves in the next round of vaccination exercise at the nearest vaccination centres.

“Our observation so far is that all mortalities are in the unvaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective and offers protection against the disease.”