Nigeria Prepares For Third Wave Of COVID-19

• “The Global Fund is funding the repair of 30 non-operational plants, and shall in addition build 12 new oxygen plants, to be so spatially located across Nigeria.”

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Federal Government (FG) has said that Nigeria is conscious of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

This was made known by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, at the national briefing of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday.

The minister, who noted that Nigeria has been taking necessary measures including provision for oxygen facilities as a preventive measure, said the country recorded just two new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.

Ehanire further gave the total number of cases confirmed in Nigeria as 167,467, out of 2,266,591 samples tested, with a test positivity rate of one percent.

He said, “Nigeria has so far escaped the worst of COVID-19 and the dire predictions made about us. We may even seem to be doing well, but I wish to emphasize that we must still be on strict preventive alert, because of the COVID-19 third wave that is sweeping across the globe.

“Cases have been rising in one African country after the other and health systems are getting stressed in countries like Uganda,” the minister stated.

Ehanire added that the Ministry of Health has been preparing itself to ensure system resilience, noting that Oxygen sufficiency is of high priority as the government observed in countries going through the third wave.

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The minister noted that the FG has placed an order for 38 Oxygen Generation Plants, “one in every state, with Lagos having two, due to its high burden”.

He added, “The Global Fund is funding the repair of 30 non-operational plants, and shall in addition build 12 new oxygen plants, to be so spatially located across Nigeria, in such a way that gaps in supply are filled and health facilities in Nigeria are able to access oxygen-less 100km from an oxygen plant.

“Over 420 brand new oxygen cylinders are on order, to support distribution and availability, just along with 12 liquid oxygen tanks of 10,000L each, with vaporizers, to be also stationed where we can refill cylinders easily,” Ehanire stated.

He added that the move will expand access to oxygen nationwide and make it available to treat patients with other conditions, such as asthma, pneumonia, sickle cell anaemia, among others.

The minister, therefore noted that the distribution of PPEs and consumables is on track in Nigeria’s health facilities to ensure the safety of health workers across the country.

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