The Ogun State government has clarified the recent confirmation of 108 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state – the highest to be recorded in a single day since the index case was confirmed in February 2020.
The Commissioner for Health in Ogun, Dr Tomi Coker, revealed that 104 of those cases came from a company in Sagamu.
She, however, attributed the spike to increased population sampling and testing capacity, as well as called for calm among the people.
Coker explained that the government has increased testing capacity to 600 daily, insisting that there was no cause for alarm as the majority of the positive cases were asymptomatic.
She urged the residents to focus on the outcome of the cases, which had been favourable for the state.
The commissioner added that more patients have been discharged and only 13 fatalities have been recorded, accounting for about three per cent of the total confirmed cases reported so far.
She, therefore, called on residents to continue to act responsibly by observing all the necessary precautions such as physical distancing, use of face masks, as well as maintaining respiratory and personal hygiene.
“We are extremely fortunate with the outcomes of the cases so far. We have low mortality and many of the cases are asymptomatic. Also, we have discharged 202 patients. That is close to half of the total confirmed cases so far,” she was quoted as saying in a statement on Wednesday.
Coker added, “Our government is continuously learning more about the pattern of COVID-19 in our communities, this has informed our decision making in the process of defining our new norm which explained why we have decentralised sample collection and integrated it into health facilities within communities, as well as commencing community-based management of COVID-19.”
She gave the assurance that the government would continue to remain vigilant and monitor the emerging trend, while following best practices to execute appropriate measures to curb the pandemic.