*At the current rate of the response across the country, we are likely going to encounter a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2021, says Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos State Commissioner for Health

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

Fearing that international travellers coming into the country from high-burden countries might increase the spread of the virus, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Honourable Commissioner for Health, in Lagos State, has cautioned residents, that the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic may be imminent in Nigeria by December 2021.

ConsumerConnect reports Prof. Abayomi, who noted this development during a media briefing Friday, November 19, 2021, said passengers coming into the country from such high-risk countries might ignite an increase in the spread of the virus.

The Commissioner said: “Many Nigerians staying abroad will be returning home to celebrate Christmas with their families.

“Most of these people will be coming from countries where there is a heavy burden of COVID-19, and where we know the virus is changing and mutating.

“The potential drivers of a fourth wave in Lagos and Nigeria are passengers arriving, especially from heavy-burdened countries in Europe and the United States into Lagos. About 86 percent of all inbound flights into Nigeria come through Lagos.”

Abayomi further stated: “It is only inevitable that if passengers are travelling in large numbers from these countries where they are about to experience the fourth and fifth wave, we should expect some activities in Lagos as a result of these movements.

“At the current rate of the response across the country, we are likely going to encounter a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2021.”

He also lamented the low vaccination rate in Nigeria, as he said that several countries had vaccinated over 50 percent of their eligible populations.

The Commissioner for Health, however, stated: “The other problem we have in Lagos and Nigeria is that our rate of vaccination has been quite low; it is just below three percent, whereas our target should be over 40 percent.

“Many countries around the world have exceeded 50 percent vaccination of the eligible populations.”

He also noted that “at the current rate of the response across the country, we are likely going to encounter a fourth wave of the COVID19 pandemic in December 2021.

“Lagos State has only vaccinated about 2.6 percent of its population, leaving it susceptible to a fourth wave.”

Fully vaccinated persons with a vaccine breakthrough infection are less likely to develop serious illness and get COVID-19 than the unvaccinated, Abayomi said.