No fewer than 35 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) 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.
About 109 prospective corps members were diagnosed with COVID-19 across NYSC orientation camps nationwide.
On Thursday, the Commissioner said some of those who tested positive have been confined to the isolation centers, while others are 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 concerns that Ogun has 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 6 fold increase in admissions into the isolation centre compared to what was recorded 2 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 3 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.”
The Commissioner also lamented that only small fraction of the state’s population had been vaccinated.
She told citizens to embrace vaccination, saying “Our observation so far is that all mortalities are in the unvaccinated.”
Coker said “His excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun would like to thank every one for making the phase one COVID-19 vaccination exercise a huge success with a total of 126,631 vaccinated for the first dose which translated to 136% of our target population for the Phase 1 exercise while 57,453 were vaccinated for the second dose.
“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.
Please continue to wear your mask properly, wash your hands frequently, observe physical distancing and where possible, avoid a crowd.”