By Yusuf Adua
An unvaccinated health worker and two other persons in Edo State have died from complications of COVID-19.
The 56-year-old essential worker died at the Auchi General Hospital, Edo north local government.
The Head of the State’s COVID-19 Case Management, Dr. Ebomwonyi Osagie, made this disclosure yesterday at the daily press briefing on COVID-19 at the Government House in Benin City.
According to him, Out of the 363 samples collected, 36 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded within the last 24 hours.
Edo State has now recorded a total of 925 confirmed cases and 35 deaths, with 646 active cases since the outbreak of the third wave of the pandemic, he further explained.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Health, Dr. Osamwonyi Irowa, described as false news that the State had recorded death from COVID-19 vaccination.
Irowa said that the State Government is determined to save the lives of its citizens.
“We actually feel sad over the death of the health worker, just as we feel sad each time we lose a soul”, he poured out
He reiterated the commitment of the state government to protect the people and prevent deaths; he added that “most of these deaths are preventable; we know they had co-morbidities and some of these persons were presented very late”.
“Late presentation has always been a challenge to us, even during the first wave of COVID-19”
He, therefore, warned the generality of the public against coming to the hospital late as it is bound to lead to an increase in mortality making efforts to manage COVID-19 increasingly arduous.