Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State says any malaria-like symptoms should now be considered and treated as COVID-19 until proven otherwise.
He made this known on Tuesday while briefing journalists at the State House, Ikeja on the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
The governor asked medical professionals to treat any patient with such symptoms as COVID-19 case unless proven otherwise.
Sanwo-Olu said: “In this second wave of the current pandemic, any malaria-like symptoms should be considered as COVID-19 virus infection unless and until otherwise proven. Any affected individual with COVID-like symptoms should proceed to any of our public health facilities and/or laboratories to get tested for free.”
The governor said the increase in the positivity of cases has necessitated the provision of greater amounts of concentrated oxygen for the moderate to severe cases on admission in isolation centres.
He revealed that over the last few weeks, the demand for oxygen has risen from 70 6-liter cylinder per day to 350 6-litre cylinders in Yaba Mainland Hospital.
He said: “This is projected to more than double to 750 6-litre cylinders, before the end of January 2021. In addition to providing oxygen at our isolation centres, the Lagos State Government has decentralised the availability of oxygen across the state through the provision of 10 oxygen and sampling kiosks.
“Oxygen therapy and other related services will be provided to patients that required them. Five of these 10 centres have been commissioned while the remaining five will be ready for use within the next four weeks.”
However, Sanwo-Olu appealed to Lagosians not to stigmatise or discriminate against anyone affected by the virus, noting that it is not a death sentence.
“Seeking help early and quickly significantly improves the chances of survival for severe to critical cases. Wear a mask everywhere and ensure that you wash your re-usable mask regularly and also properly dispose of used disposable masks,” he said.