Osibogun warns, Lagos risks COVID-19 fourth wave

Says vaccines don’t confer absolute immunity as one per cent remains vaccinated

A professor of Community Health, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akin Osibogun, has warned Lagos State government of eminent fourth wave of COVID-19.

He noted that there are indications that the country would soon be hit with another pandemic. Osibogun, who spoke at the Lagos State University Third Research Fair in Ojo, yesterday, with the theme: “Creative and Innovative Solutions to COVID-19 pandemic,” said multiplication of COVID-19 variants and low rate of vaccination put the country at risk of fourth wave.

He said: “The fourth wave can kick off any moment from now and as some countries are already preparing, Lagos should also get prepared, but we are at risk with only one per cent of the population vaccinated.”

He added that although the vaccines do not confer absolute immunity against the virus, as they may not produce anti-bodies until three weeks after vaccination, they are useful when larger population is vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Lagos State University Governing Council, Mr. David Sunmoni, has said that the need to hold the fair is to tackle the pandemic with quality research into solutions to curb the spread of a possible fourth wave.

He stressed that the vaccines would require further exploration and research to curtail the new variants, while calling on all students to come up with possible research proposals that would win research grants.

The Acting Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Oyedamola Oke, while appealing to experts to contribute to the wealth of knowledge through groundbreaking medical research, said that the intention of the university to organise a research fair was to share its research on COVID-19 virus and contribute significantly to curbing the spread of the virus.