Boss Mustapha, addressing reporters at the PTF briefing in
Abuja.
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has
highlighted the factors that led to the increased figures of
coronavirus recorded in the country since November
2020.
Addressing reporters on Monday in Abuja, the PTF Chairman, Boss
Mustapha, revealed that increased local and international travels
were among the major factors.
He listed the others to include increased business and religious
activities, reopening of schools without strict compliance with
COIVID-19 safety measures.
Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF), faulted the attitude of some state authorities to
the management of the disease.
According to him, no state in Nigeria is immune to the pandemic
even if reports are not coming out of such states.
The PTF chairman urged the people to stay away from activities
that can expose them to the virus as the nation’s tally crossed
100,000.
He announced that the government has concluded plans to roll out
the pilot exercise on the use of Rapid Diagnostic Test-Kits (RDTs)
next week in five tertiary health institutions in Abuja.
Read the full text of the SGF at the briefing
below:
REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE PRESIDENTIAL TASK FORCE
ON COVID-19 FOR MONDAY, 11TH JANUARY 2021I welcome you all to the National Briefing by the Presidential
Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 for today, Monday, 11th January
2021.Reports coming in from all over the world show that the
COVID-19 pandemic is still wreaking huge havoc on humanity,
economies, and systems.The Situation Report as of Sunday, 10th January point in
the following direction:On 8th January 2021: 833,496 cases were recorded. This
represented the highest ever since the pandemic startedThe three days preceding the 8th, each recorded over 700,000
casesGlobal cases have now reached the 90,676,320 mark
Global fatality count is fast approaching the two million
markThe global CFR has declined from 2.2 to 2.1%
The CFR for Africa has also declined from 2.3 to 2.2%; and
The WHO African region crossed the two million case mark on
Wednesday, 6th January 2020.In Nigeria, we have crossed the 100,000 cases mark and now rank
second in the number of new cases, the 4th in cumulative cases in
Africa, and 5th in cumulative deaths.Last week, Nigeria recorded over 9,000 cases. Realistically, if
we estimate the numbers missed, we would be in a much higher
region.There is no state in Nigeria that is immune to this pandemic
even if reports are not coming out of such states. The Hon.
Minister of State for Health and the DG NCDC will expand on the
statistics during this briefing.It is, however, very instructive to stress that factors that
have contributed to rise in numbers from late November 2020
included increased local and international travels, business and
religious activities, reopening of schools without strict
compliance with COIVID-19 safety measures.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The full import of the fore-going is to press further on the
need for us all to elevate the level of our vigilance and
compliance with the recommended non-pharmaceutical
interventions.The current wave of infections is swift and virulent, and we do
not know how long it will last. Besides, the facilities available
for the treatment of critical cases remain very limited and we do
not wish to be overwhelmed.Your best bet, therefore, is to avoid infections completely. The
PTF has continued to receive inquiries about the issue of testing
before travelling out of Nigeria.For the avoidance of doubts, the protocol in Nigeria requires
inbound passengers to test, not more than 96 hours, before boarding
flights to Nigeria.However, for passengers leaving Nigeria, it remains the
responsibility of travellers to confirm the requirements of the
country of destination and that of the carrier of choice. The
National Coordinator will clarify the extant protocol and the
policy position.For in-bound travellers, a new protocol on pre-boarding has been
released and compliance is still strongly recommended. The
additional requirements for passengers coming from the United
Kingdom and South Africa also remain in force. The NC will also
speak on this during the briefing.Next week the pilot exercise on the use of Rapid Diagnostic
Test-Kits (RDTs) will be rolled out in 5 tertiary health
institutions in Abuja. The DG NCDC will expand on this.The isolation of different strains of the virus is being
vigorously pursued. In this regard, the PTF is working with the
Africa CDC and the NCDC on the sequencing of the COVID strains
circulating in Nigeria. We shall keep Nigerians informed as the
exercise progresses.As part of measures to deepen community engagement and
enforcement of protocols, the PTF met with the Nigerian Governors
Forum last week and will be meeting with key religious and
traditional leaders soon. It will similarly meet with security
agencies.The third stream of NYSC members will resume on 18th January
and the PTF is working closely with the management to ensure that
participants are tested, and protocols are complied with.Finally, the PTF has advanced the preparation for the
management of all aspects of the vaccines discuss.Particularly, lessons are being drawn from other jurisdictions
on the successes and challenges of the vaccine administration. The
Executive Director of the NPHCDA will elaborate on this.I now invite the Honourable Minister of State for Health, the
DG (NCDC), and the National Coordinator to brief you from the
technical perspectives.I thank you all for listening.