As life returns to normal and people let down their guards with regards to nonpharmaceutical measures of prevention of Covid-19, the Health Minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has warned that the disease has the potential to surprise us.
Ehanire gave the warning at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, April 26, 2022.
He disclosed that, with regards to the pandemic, Nigeria at the moment was in a lull with reduction in infection rate and in fatalities.
The Health Boss however said, it was dangerous to relax precautions, citing examples of countries that literarily went back to square one in their fight against the disease. “But we cannot let down our oars on Covid-19.
“The experience from other countries in Europe, and presently the experience in China tells us that there can be a flare up of Covid-19 at anytime, triggered by factors yet to be fully understood.
“We all know now that the massive huge city of Shanghai in China is on a lock down because of an explosion again of Covid-19 in that place. Before that, it was in Europe, UK and Germany.
“So, the re-emergence of Covid-19 from country to country with symptoms can surprise us”, he said.
The Health Czar further instructed that with respect to the upcoming sallah celebration, Covid-19 preventive measures should be strictly abide by.
Meanwhile, The Director of the department of Primary Health Care System Development at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Nneka Onwu, also disclosed that Nigerians were dropping out after taking the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccines.
She pegged the national drop out at 42% and blamed it on poor coordination structure at the subnational levels.
On her part, Director Hospital Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Adebimpe Adebiyi while giving the Covid-19 status of the country said: “as at 25th April, 2022, the number of samples tested were 5,036,813, out of which confirmed cases were 255,670, active cases were 2,653 discharged cases were 245,874 and 3143 deaths”.
She disclosed that the country had a case fatality rate of 1.2% and recorded one death over the period of 8weeks and a comorbidity of 47%.
