Edo State Government, yesterday, sought collaboration and support of all residents to contain the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and cautioned against submitting false ding names, addresses and phone contacts during sample collection and testing.

Head of the state’s COVID-19 Case Management, Dr. Ebomwonyi Osagie, gave the charge while addressing journalists at the daily briefing on COVID-19 at the Government House, Benin City.

Osagie said the submission of wrong information during sample collection by residents made it difficult for contact tracers to track down confirmed cases after the release of laboratory results.

He said the COVID-19 Task Force had not been able to reach 87 persons, who were recently tested for the pandemic due to wrong phone numbers and addresses.

“Edo recorded the death of one more person, who was not inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine. The new death figure raised the number of deaths recorded in the third wave of the pandemic to 70.”

“In the last 24 hours, we collected 74 samples and recorded on death, 36 new COVID-19 cases, nine discharges and 732 active cases,” he added.

On his part, Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Health, Dr. Osamwonyi Irowa, who said vaccination was still ongoing in the councils of the state, urged residents to get vaccinated to fully protected against the virus.

“We appreciate Edo people for embracing the vaccination exercise as it’s a way of stopping the spread of the virus. The South-South Zonal Town Hall meeting on vaccination will hold tomorrow.

“The town hall meeting will be an interactive session with the South-South key stakeholders and will feature the inauguration of the Traditional Leaders Committee on PHC delivery in the South-South Zone,” he said.