Edo intensifies sample collection, COVID- 19 vaccination as active cases drop

• HIP, insurance scheme will improve access to healthcare, says Obaseki

EDO State Government has intensified sample collection and vaccination of residents against the COVID- 19 pandemic as part of efforts to contain the scourge and ensure safety of citizens.

COVID- 19 Incident Manager, Dr. Andrew Obi, disclosed this during the daily virtual meeting of the State Task Force chaired by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Obi, who noted that the state was recording impressive success on the campaign against the second wave of the pandemic, charged residents to continue to comply with preventive protocols to ensure that the state finally contained the pandemic.

He said the state had vaccinated over 78 per cent of its target population for the first phase of the vaccination exercise and continued to witness a progressive decline in active cases and case positivity and fatality rates, with a corresponding rise in recovery rate.

He said in the last 24 hours, the state collected 222 samples and recorded three new cases, two recoveries and zero death, with seven active cases that are being managed at various isolation and treatment centres in the state.

EANWHILE Governor Obaseki assured that the Edo Health Improvement Programme ( Edo- HIP) and Edo Health Insurance Scheme would improve access to quality and affordable healthcare services for all residents of the state. He gave the assurance at the World Health Day ( WHD), celebrated on April 7 of every year to mark the founding of the World Health Organisation ( WHO).

“As we mark the WHD, especially during COVID- 19 pandemic, we are pushing on with the reforms in the health sector so as to improve access to quality and affordable healthcare services to all Edo people and residents,” he said.

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