Ayodele Olalere
Since the inception of the outbreak of Coronavirus, in Lagos State, he has been at the forefront of combating the dreaded virus that has claimed thousands of lives across the globe.
The ministry he oversees is one of the major and important sectors in the state and second pillar of the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
Therefore, upon his appointment as the commissioner, he was placed with the enormous responsibility of ensuring the health sector of the state witnesses a turnaround with assurance from the governor to give him his full support both financially and morally.
However, little did Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, the man who was to ensure the health of Lagosians receives adequate attention, realise that a bigger task laid ahead of him that could also put his life in danger, health-wise, while discharging his duty.
Barely few months after his appointment as commissioner, Prof. Abayomi’s competence came under test, as the state was hit by Coronavirus, a pandemic that still ravages the world.
On February 27, 2020, the state recorded its first tested positive victim in an Italian whose identity was and is still under wraps. He had arrived the country from Milan, Italy, en-route Istanbul, Turkey, and stayed in an hotel in Lagos for two days before he headed to Ogun State.
As soon as the Italian was confirmed to have the virus at 10pm on February 27, the state government began the battle to curtail its spread and the man to spearhead the battle was none other than Prof. Abayomi.
He was, at first, to lead the contact tracing of 100 people, who had had contact with the Italian from the airport in Lagos to the hotel, and later Ogun State. Thus began his exposure to the highly contagious virus.
Within few days, number of tested positive individuals in the state began to rise, with the commissioner constantly moving from one isolation centre to another, ensuring adequate provisions were made to treat such individuals, thereby exposing himself more to the possibility of contracting the virus.
“We have identified most of these people and we are monitoring the situation. We don’t want to give the virus opportunity to spread. We have quarantined those identified so far at our medical facilities and some of them at home. If they develop symptoms, we will bring them to our biosecurity facility for test,” Abayomi had said.
As the epicentre of the outbreak of the virus, Lagos has recorded and still records the highest number of patients and death. However, the state has also recorded the highest number of recoveries, thanks to the massive sensitisation programmes, world-class isolation and health facilities as well motivated medical personnel, led by the health comisioner.
However, six months after the outbreak, and after several sleepless nights, leading the battle against Coronavirus and hunting the dreaded disease, the hunter became the hunted. Profeseor Abayomi was hit with Coronavirus, a monster he has been fighting and conquering.
The news came in the morning of August 23, 2020; the man who had been the face of health care in the state, had contracted Covid-19 and had gone into isolation. It became a breaking news as Lagosians were taken by surprise.
Announcing how the commissioner contracted the virus, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, said several months of having close contacts with coronavirus patients resulted in Prof. Abayomi becoming a victim of the virus he had been fighting.
Omotosho said: “Subsequent to close contact with persons, feeling unwell and testing positive for the COVID-19 infection, the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has tested positive for the virus. Professor Abayomi became aware of his status, following the required testing protocol of contact tracing procedures.
However, he is doing well with no symptoms. Adhering to the protocol of the homebased strategy in Lagos State, the Honorable Commissioner will be isolating in his home for the next 14 days but will continue to discharge his duties both as the Deputy Incident Commander of the Incident Command System for COVID-19 and most especially, as the Honorable Commissioner for Health,” Omotosho said.
However, he assured the state government’s support to the commissioner.
“Our prayers are with him and his family during his period of isolation,” he added.
Prof. Abayomi’s present situation has brought him into the league of health commissioners in some parts of the world, who have become victims of the virus they fight against.
One of such was Dr. Roland Walker, the health commissioner of Gary, NorthWest Indiana, United States.
Roland had been overseeing the city and managing responses to the Coronavirus pandemic in the state and helping to implement safety and precaution order in the state.
However, he was later tested positive for the virus and went on self-isolation. The city has recorded over 1, 846 cases with over 83 deaths.
