Edo has continued to record a steady rise in deaths of persons who have not been inoculated against COVID-19, as the state recorded two more COVID-19-related deaths, amid efforts by the state government to vaccinate more citizens to achieve herd immunity against the virus.

The State COVID-19 Incident Manager, Dr. Andrew Obi, disclosed this after the daily virtual meeting of the State COVID-19 Taskforce, chaired by the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

The Incident Manager said the two new deaths bring to 15, the total number of deaths recorded in the state in the third wave of the pandemic.

He stated that all deaths reported in the third wave are of unvaccinated persons, urging citizens to leverage the opportunity of the second phase vaccination exercise to get full protection against the virus.

According to him, “Edo, in the last 24 hours, recorded two more deaths of unvaccinated persons, bringing the total fatality figure in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to 15.

“We also collected 829 samples and recorded 35 new cases, zero recoveries, with 397 active cases that are being managed at various treatment and isolation centers in the state.”

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Obi continued: “While over 96 percent of confirmed cases in the state are those who were never vaccinated, all 15 persons who have died from the virus in the third wave were unvaccinated. Vaccines are the safest and most effective means to keep us protected against the deadly virus.

“I urge everyone to support the government’s efforts at containing the pandemic and protecting its citizens by leveraging the opportunity of the ongoing second phase vaccination exercise to get inoculated. Kindly visit the nearest vaccination center within your communities to get vaccinated today.”

More on Wednesday the governor during a press conference at the Government House in Benin City said his government owes a sacred duty to the populace to take all actions necessary to protect the health of the majority of the citizens, noting that its efforts to achieve herd immunity through the vaccination of majority of Edo citizens is to ensure the safety and health of the people.

Obaseki, also said the government shall continue to pursue all legal and administrative options available for the protection of the best interest of the good people of Edo State.

According to him, “The attention of the Edo State Government has been drawn to an order by a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, directing the Government to maintain the status quo on the purported compulsory vaccination of its citizens with the COVID-19 vaccine.

“To the best of our knowledge, the order is at best speculative and pre-emptive as the scheduled date for the commencement of the enforcement of the directive by the state government is the second week of September, 2021.

“It must be stated that there is an obvious misconception that the directive issued by government was to make vaccination compulsory for all citizens.”

Obaseki continued: “Although the State Governor, in truth, has the power to make such an order under the Gazetted Quarantine Regulations, this directive is actually only a denial of access to public places of persons who chose not to be vaccinated. We believe government’s overriding concern is the safety and health of its citizens.

“We are currently confronted with a situation wherein the Case Positivity Rate (CPR) for COVID-19 hovers between 15 and 25 percent as deaths are consistently being recorded daily from COVID-19, with unvaccinated persons accounting for 100 percent of deaths in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

“Government, therefore, finds it strange that some persons in purported pursuit of their fundamental human rights would embark on litigation tourism outside of our state, seek to become a source of public health danger and put at risk the safety and health of the larger population.”

Reassuring the government’s commitment to the protection of the lives and livelihoods of Edo people, the governor further stated: “Government owes a sacred duty to the populace to take all actions necessary to protect the health of the majority of the citizens and in this connection, an even greater quantity of vaccines is being secured for the use of the people of Edo State.

“The Edo State Government has, therefore, instructed its Lawyers to vigorously pursue and challenge all such orders in the courts from where they emanate and if necessary, at the appellate level, while affirming its position as a law-abiding government.”

Obaseki also commended residents for complementing the government’s efforts at containing the pandemic.

He said: “We want to appreciate all leaders in various spheres within the state for their support so far for the vaccination exercise which has resulted in unprecedented uptake of the vaccines by Edo people.

“We thank the churches, mosques, hotels, banks, event centers, restaurants, and bars, among others, that have volunteered their premises for use as vaccination posts.”

Reinstating the government’s stance on proof of vaccination to access large gatherings from the second week of September 2021, Obaseki added that “We want to reiterate that our directives on vaccination stands and so people who are planning social, religious, political, or business events after the second week of September should ensure that both themselves and their guests are not only vaccinated but possess vaccination cards as proof of vaccination, as anyone without this proof, will not be granted access to crowded facilities.”

The governor also directed intensive enforcement of the use of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) to curb the current spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths.

He said: “These measures include compulsory wearing of facemasks, regular washing of hands under running water and/or use of hand sanitizers, and maintenance of recommended social and physical distancing in public places, among others.

“Consequent on the rapid rise in infections and death from COVID-19, the government may be forced to implement a lockdown if there is a failure to follow the directives for vaccination and compliance with the Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention (NPIs) in order to halt the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 which is currently raging within the state.”