By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Government, through its incident command structure has fully re-activated 10 COVID oxygen treatment and sample collection centres as well as 20 Local Government Areas, LGAs, based COVID sample collection sites as part of measures to mitigate the effect of the third wave of the virus infection in the state.

Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who disclosed this yesterday, while reviewing reports of operations at the centres, stated that the centres which were established during heat of the first and second waves of the global pandemic have been rejigged and reinvigorated to provide swift oxygen therapy to residents who require it and easy access to COVID testing for citizens who needed to test for COVID infection.

He explained that the 10 COVID Oxygen Treatment and Sample Collection Centres were established as dual purpose facilities and strategically located in 10 local government areas with a high burden of COVID infection cases to provide oxygen support and serve as COVID sample collection base to residents.

According to him, “The 20 LGAs based COVID Sample Collection Sites are community-based sites operated by the Medical Officers of Health in each of the 20 LGAs and supervised by the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board in collaboration with the Lagos State Biobank to increase the ease of access of residents to testing”.

“The reactivation of these centres and sites are part of the strategies adopted in response to the recent increase in COVID-19 infection occasioned by the third wave of new strains. The Oxygen Treatment Centres will support patients with Oxygen while the LGA Based Sample Collection Sites will service patients with any of the COVID symptoms or who are exposed to a confirmed COVID case.”

“The state government is doing all within its powers to ramp up testing and improve on its management of COVID cases by providing citizens with support and seamless access to quality and efficient COVID care services to lower the curve of COVID third wave and prevent the infection from further spreading.”

The commissioner, therefore, urged citizens who will be visiting the centres to observe and adhere strictly to all non-pharmaceutical interventions of face mask use, social distancing and hand hygiene as part of the protocols to prevent spread of the infection at the sites.

Abayomi added that officials at the sites have been instructed to ensure full compliance to COVID protocols.