Recently, I wrote a widely published article on the ungodly scourge ravaging the nooks and crannies of the world of mortal. It was centred on proffering solutions to the pandemic through Religion or Science.
In today’s Nigeria, Nigerians are catapulting opinions on the several topics but having nexus with the on-going pandemic; ranging from President Muhammadu Buhari National Broadcast, Lockdown across some vulnerable cities, Corporate and Individual Donations to fight COVID-19, Sensitization and Awareness Campaign on COVID-19, Economy crisis, and Politicians actions and inactions towards the foray.
Current trend of results unfolding from the National Center For Disease Control has been revealing that top-notch politicians and high class individuals are the victims of the scourge.
The dismay and flurry by most Nigerians is that why COVID-19 refused to visit the poor rather than scouting for the influentials in the country; the scenario that has birthed unequal submissions from the citizens, while some are rejoicing as a reward for corrupt practices of our leaders that are full of inherently based turpitude, others are sympathizing with the victims as a reconciliation towards humanity.
The truth is; You cannot combat a virus if you don’t know where it is. Across the world, the outbreak of the new coronavirus has contrived and feigned healthcare systems and punched economies hard, with few countries expected to emerge unscathed by the pandemic’s financial effect. Locking down the country’s financial capital, Lagos, is expected to further add to an impending economic crisis.
The COVID-19 test. Why is that the results are for the influencial? Does that mean, Poor masses are not having access to the facilities?
In a sincere note, what’s apparent is that the reported cases are just a tip of the iceberg. Only about 1 in 3 or 5 of those who needed the test actually got tested. Although it may be true that the affluent are the ones more likely to have because of their predisposition to traveling out of the country, however, there are some middle classed people who have also traveled and even a good number of the common men they’ve had encounters with.
At this stage, we ought to be doing mass testing for early detection. Can this be possible? In Nigeria! I doubt and I fear for a COVID-19 havoc, if care is not taken. Almost every part of Nigeria is taking it for granted in term of general test, but the northern part is worse of. Partially, it is obvious that nature is helping them for now.
Nigeria is facing the reality of consequential effects of how maniacal and frenzy our government tamed the development. What this pandemic is doing is exposing faults in several countries. With Nigeria, we are seeing the degree to which education and healthcare have been underfunded. Academics are at home instead of sporadically executing research on how to curtail the pandemic. What a country!
It is highly unbearable, lugubrious and pathetic to read analysis on economy and crime crisis as post COVID-19 challenges. There will be an uptick in crimes in Nigeria and particularly the spaces that are under any forms of lockdown because the Nigerian economy isn’t made for things like remote work,” Caleb Olorunmaiye, a policy analyst explains. “We are expecting an uptick in domestic violence with people that will find themselves locked in with their abusers when they would normally be away from home.”
It is quite clear that the world is now dealing with two pandemics instead of one. The first is the virus. The second is fake news. The latter has greeted lots of fear. In many cases, outright panic. That is why landlords are kicking out health workers from their houses. That is why we get reports of chloroquine toxicity within 24 hours of US President Donald Trump saying that might be the treatment for COVID-19.
What has panic got to do with testing? Panic is being driven by the way in which the outcome of testing is being communicated. For example, Nigeria is releasing data about how many more cases there are. But not telling her citizens how many of these people have no symptoms at all, or have mild ones.
Knowing how many of those who tested positive were not considered to be in a critical state would be helpful.
The other area in which data is being badly handled, and adding to panic levels, is that countries are reporting new cases on a daily basis. These aren’t necessarily new infections but, rather, new detections. Most are people who already had it and (for whatever reason were able to get tested) were found to be positive. They are people who, just the day before, did not know they had the virus and therefore weren’t provoking fear in others. Also, the number of new confirmed cases alone may not be the best indicator for the challenge the disease poses in the country or community.
Knowing their status now should not cause panic. It should simply inform about the importance of the preventive measures, including testing, to prevent spread of the disease.
Nigeria is densely populated and it is advised to test as many people as possible but in the face of limited test resources. The mainstay polymerase chain reaction test is quite limited and relatively slow. It is also expensive given the requirements even of staff and laboratories.
Therefore, clinicians should work with their state and local health departments to coordinate testing through public health laboratories, or work with clinical or commercial laboratories.
Government should strategize on how to reach the dwellers of rural Communities who are vulnerable but are not having access to quality healthcare facilities.
War against fake news should be combated excessively at this trying Time to halt the unnecessary panic harbouring in the naive minds of the poor masses.
Lastly, funds should be released for the academics and various institutions to join their contemporaries across the globe in ethically working in the laboratories in order to design model for curtailing the pandemic.
BASHEER LUQMAN OLAREWAJU-UNIQUE
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08106710901
