Full Speech of Dr Oyebanji Filani on Mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in Ekiti State

 

The Ministry of Health and Human Services Announces the Return to Strict COVID-19 Preventive Measures to Mitigate Increasing Nationwide Spread

 

Since November 2021, Ekiti State has experienced a significant decline in the number of positive COVID-19 cases and low occupancy in the isolation centres. Before the Eid El Kabir celebrations which occurred early this month, the State Ministry of Health issued a statement advising the general public to be mindful of increasing the spread of COVID-19 during the festivities. However, as the State Ministry of Health continues to monitor the recent increase of COVID-19 cases across the country, and a recent spike in the State with 74 persons currently positive, all residents of Ekiti State are hereby advised to adhere strictly to the government's public health and social measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These measures include:

1.     Wearing of facemasks in public gatherings

2.     Maintaining hand hygiene through proper handwashing or use of alcohol-based hand rub

3.     Social or physical distancing

4.     Reporting at the nearest health facility when sick

5.     Getting tested and isolating if positive

6.     Adherence to Covid-19 measures by banks and other institutions

Vaccination remains the most effective means of curbing this pandemic and we encourage all residents of the State to get vaccinated. As at today, 384,730 persons are fully vaccinated, however this is not sufficient to achieve herd immunity, hence the re-enforcement of preventive protocols. The State has trained and deployed over 80 mobile vaccination teams and 177 health facility-based teams across all LGAs in the State. Citizens are encouraged to visit the vaccination post nearest to them to get their complete Covid-19 jabs. The State Government will continue to engage with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and other partners to ensure constant availability and accessibility of vaccines while heightening surveillance activities to ensure quick detection and mitigation of the spread of COVID-19.

Signed

Dr Oyebanji Filani

Honourable Commissioner for Health and Human Service