From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Commissioner for Health in Delta, Mordi Ononye, has said 395 cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have so far be recorded in the state.
He said the state was yet to record any death since the emergency of the fourth wave of the global pandemic.
The commissioner spoke while briefing the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Patrick Ukah, on the steps taken to by the task force on COVID-19 to curtail the spread of the new variant.
Ononye said plans were already in place to effectively monitor the engaged 20-member ward enlightenment team for each of the various wards across the state with a view to effectively sensitise all residents on the need to get vaccinated.
He appealed to residents to continue to observe all the COVID-19 protocols in order to curtail the spread by wearing face masks, regular hand washing, use of sanitizers, regular wiping of surfaces and being vaccinated.
On his part, the SSG, Ukah reiterated the commitment of the state government to curbing the spread of the Omicron and other variants of the virus.
Ukah charged the task force to re-ignite the awareness campaign on COVID-19 with a view to stepping up the consciousness of Deltans on the need to observe the protocols and guidelines.
The SSG emphasised the need to enlist the support of traditional rulers and religious leaders in the state as relevant stakeholders in the sensitisation of the people within their various domain.
He commended the task force for taking the initiative of engaging 20-member ward enlightenment team to ensure effective dissemination of information on COVID-19 across the various wards of the state, noting that the strategy will go a long way in educating Deltans on the need to get vaccinated and also observe all the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines.
Meanwhile, Nigeria recorded 1,547 cases of COVID-19 infections on Sunday bringing the country’s total to 237,561 since the outbreak of the virus on February 27, 2020.
The virus has also claimed 3,022 lives in Nigeria so far. The country has treated and discharged 212,550 of those infected. 193 of them were discharged from hospitals on Sunday.
National Centre for Disease Control stated, yesterday, Sunday’s infections were recorded in nine states and the FCT.
FCT took over the lead from Lagos State on Sunday as it recorded 806 infections compared to 401 recorded by the latter.
Borno had 166 infections, Oyo State had 78 infections, Ogun State had 47, and Osun State had 30, while Ekiti and Katsina states had seven infections each. Kano State had four new infections, while Jigawa had one.
Nigeria has also taken 3,751,696 samples since the outbreak of the virus.