The General Manager of LASWA, Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, stated that the inauguration of the boat was an initiative to further add to the integrated system of emergency and rescue.

He said, “We have been gradually building this, and we have also seen how the safety on the waterways keeps improving every year.

“What we are currently planning to do is to have our own core emergency and response boats along with the Jet Ski and the soon-to-be-launched control room.”

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mr Olusegun Ogboye, stated at the event that the boat would mainly deal with emergencies on water and also provide outreach services to riverine communities.

He said, “The Ministry of Health will also provide human resources and consumables for health care provision. The state plans to acquire additional boats to ensure that the service runs well and meets the needs of the people of Lagos State.”

Lagos State Ministry of Health who made the announcement also advised citizens against patronizing health facilities which are not accredited by the government for testing or management of COVID-19 cases as this poses danger to the community and staff of such facilities.

The tweets read “Yesterday, the Lagos State Ministry of Health, through Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, sealed a private laboratory located on Banana Island, Ikoyi, for carrying out #COVID-19 tests without the required government approval. The lab; Acouns Medical Laboratory and Diagnostic Centre, was also situated in a pharmacy! Citizens are advised to desist from patronizing Health facilities not accredited by Lagos State Government for testing or management of #COVID-19 cases as this poses danger to the community and staff of such facilities.”

The Lagos State Ministry of Health, who revealed this in a tweet on Thursday morning, explained that the patient was in a state of severe breathlessness at the time of admission.

The Ministry also confirmed 87 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed on Wednesday, raising the total figure of infections reported in the state to 947.

The ministry added that a total of 187 COVID-19 patients have been discharged, following the recovery of 49 more people.