Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commissioned a new isolation centre to treat coronavirus patients in the state.

Lagos has around 1,000 isolation beds, but the state currently has 756 active cases already.

The governor commissioned the 118-bed Isolation and Treatment Centre at Gbagada General Hospital on Friday, May 1, 2020.

He said the facility was revamped over the past two months to accommodate patients who have been infected by the coronavirus disease.

Lagos is the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in Nigeria with 976 cases recorded, 50.5% of Nigeria’s total of 1,932 cases, as of April 30.

The state currently has 756 active cases with 199 already discharged from medical care, but 21 people have also died of coronavirus-related complications, one third of the country’s total of 58.

While speaking during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Thursday, April 30, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, expressed concerns that Nigeria, and Lagos especially, might soon run out of isolation beds.

He said, “So, we’re going to work with them (Lagos) to keep trying to make more spaces available.

“Ultimately, we might have to change our strategy a little bit and start considering home care in certain circumstances where a patient can be managed sufficiently.

We’re struggling at the moment. We might have to adapt our strategy because of the realities we face over the next few days.”

Nigeria has recorded coronavirus cases in 34 State and FCT, as of April 30. Only Cross River and Kogi are yet to record any cases.

A total of 319 people have recovered and been discharged from care.