Nigerian University Shuts Down Hostels Over Covid-19 Surge

On Thursday, one of Nigeria’s largest universities sent residential students home and said it would suspend physical attendance of lectures as fears grow about a new wave of coronavirus in Africa’s most populous nation.

The governing body of the University Of Lagos (UNILAG) said the decision was made after a few reported Covid-19 cases in the university. It also approved commencement of virtual lectures from July 26, 2021.

Meanwhile, the National Economic Council on Thursday assured Nigerians that there was “no indication of an imminent lockdown”, as the nation braces up for COVID-19’s third wave.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, stated this in a briefing to State House correspondents after the virtual NEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

While stating the outcome of the meeting, Sanwo-Olu said the vice president assured that NEC would convene an emergency meeting on the COVID-19 third wave, whenever the need rises.

The World Health Organisation had warned of the spread of COVID-19’s Delta variant, alongside the inconsistent use of proven public health measures which, it said, was driving increases in both case numbers and deaths.

“We will be reviewing on a weekly basis, like every two to three days, what the trends are; the chairman of the council has also mentioned to us that if there is a need for an emergency meeting, he will call one.

“But, assurances were given by the NCDC and the Presidential Task Force, working with relevant states like Lagos, to be tracking and monitoring what is happening almost on daily basis,” Sanwolu said.

The governor added that Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director General, NCDC, had provided a global insight of what had been happening in the past one month, with Nigeria having 168, 552 cases reported as at July 15, and 1,993 active cases.

States had discharged over 140, 000 people, while 2,124 covid-19 related deaths were recorded so far, the governor quoted the NCDC as saying, in addition to the fact that the positivity rates had gone up, in spite of the low number of cases in the country.

Sanwo-Olu said Ihekweazu informed NEC that Lagos State had the highest burden of 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the cases in the country, having recorded increases in the number of cases since 10 weeks ago.

“In the last two weeks, we have seen an increase from a positivity average of about 1.5 per cent to positivity average nationally of about 3.5 per cent; Lagos has seen a positivity of 5.5 per cent in the last two weeks; so Lagos, Rivers and Kwara from the report have seen increases in positivity rates.”