Five Osun Residents Test Positive For Deadly UK COVID-19 Strain

The Osun state government has stated that it has recorded five cases of the COVID-19 strain first discovered in the United Kingdom.

Naija News reports that the state commissioner for information and civic orientation, Funke Egbemode, announced this in a statement on Sunday.

The state government described as worrisome the confirmation of five cases of the UK COVID-19 strain.

Egbemode said: “The Govt of Osun regrets to announce that the State has in the past few days recorded five cases of the violent & deadly B117 strain of COVID-19,which was first reported in the United Kingdom,” she said.

“This is particularly worrisome because it is barely a week that the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 announced the discovery of the strain in Nigeria, and Osun already has five cases.

“Considering the continued disregard and defiance for safety protocols in the state, the government is extremely concerned about the days ahead.”

She warned that if the variant spreads, more persons will become vulnerable, especially those with underlying conditions.

“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,” the commissioner said.

“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.”

Apart from the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 strain found in the UK, other reported variants include B.1.351 discovered in South Africa, and P.1 variant identified in Brazil.