Osun State has raised the alarm that it has recorded five cases of the violent and deadly B117 strain of COVID-19 barely one week after its presence was announced in Nigeria.
Expressing regrets over the development, the state also expressed concern over the days ahead.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, the state enjoined citizens to scale up their personal responsibility for safety by complying with all the non-pharmaceutical protocols outlined by the government, to avoid tragic consequences.
The statement reads in full:
“The government of the state of Osun regrets to announce that the State has in the past few days recorded five cases of the violent and deadly B117 strain of COVID-19, which was first reported in the United Kingdom.
“This is particularly worrisome because it is barely a week that the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 announced the discovery of the strain in Nigeria, and Osun already has five cases.
“Considering the continued disregard and defiance for safety protocols in the state, the government is extremely concerned about the days ahead.
“This new strain spreads faster and kills quicker. If it continues to grow, more citizens will become vulnerable and those with underlying ailments more endangered.
“We cannot continue to act like Covid-19 is not real. It is not just a sad reality but one that has changed momentum with this more deadly strain.
“Citizens are enjoined to scale up their personal responsibility for safety by complying with all the non-pharmaceutical protocols outlined by the government, to avoid tragic consequences.”
