Osun state government has announced the discovery of the new strain of COVID-19 codenamed B117, which was first detected in United Kingdom in December 2020.
The new cases were reported barely five days after the Chairman Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha announced that Nigeria has recorded four cases of COVID-19 B117 strain.
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The state’s Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode, confirmed the discovery of the COVID-19 in a public announcement on Sunday evening.
She said;
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.
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Egbemode added;
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.
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Osun, according to data reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, has 1,516 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as at Saturday, January 30. Twenty-seven new cases were confirmed on Saturday, while the death toll is now 32.
