COVID-19: Ogun inaugurates oxygen therapy centre

In its effort to contain the spread of the second wave of Coronavirus pandemic, the Ogun State Government has inaugurated an Oxygen Therapy Centre, to address the issue of scarcity of the life-saving consumable.

This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, on Monday, that the Centre situated within the Infectious Disease Hospital, at Iberekodo, had 20 beds of high dependency capacity.

The commissioner described the rate of the new strain of the virus as highly infectious, hence the need for government to be proactive in saving lives.

Dr Coker said: “The Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital ( OOUTH) Isolation centre is at 90 per cent capacity right now, which means that people have to take cognizance of being responsible for their own health.

“Our positivity rate prior to December was roving around 0.7 – 0.8 per cent but since December, particularly January, our positivity rate has gone up by about 8 per cent which means that this second wave is real. Hence, we all have to pay attention and do all the necessary things needed to protect ourselves.

“We are more concern as a state but we are prepared. We have OOUTH, Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta, Ikenne Isolation Centres all available.

The commissioner added that the Centre would help in ensuring that the state do not run out of oxygen as its being experienced in some states.

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The Commissioner, however, pointed out that Ogun has tested over 50,000 residents which is the 1 per cent of its population as stipulated by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC).

“Ogun is one of the leading states in the number of tests carried out. We’ve actually hit one person of our population which is the stipulated number prescribed by NCDC for all states.

” We have tested over 50,000 residents of Ogun State given that our population is about 5.8m. We are now heading to 2 per cent. Out of the over 50,000 tested, we have about 2500 positive,” she stated.

Coker, therefore, said that if the non-pharmaceutical guidelines are adhered to, there will be no overwhelming situation in containing the pandemic.

“We are responding appropriately to contain and curtail this second wave but the success of our response has to be a collaborative one between the government and the individuals,” the Commissioner said.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

COVID-19: Ogun inaugurates oxygen therapy centre