The Lagos Health Commissioner, Akin Abayomi, has revealed that a majority of the calls received at the emergency call center for COVID-19 are fake. He stated that irresponsible members of society are responsible for about 80% of the calls, which often include pranks and insults to health workers. This has been a significant distraction in managing the coronavirus outbreak.
According to the Commissioner, 11% of the calls are from individuals seeking information about the disease, 9% are from people experiencing symptoms, and only 0.4% are considered serious red flags.
The Commissioner addressed this issue at a press conference on April 6. He emphasized the disruptive nature of the hoax calls and their impact on the management of the pandemic.
For a video of the Commissioner speaking on this matter, see the Instagram post below.