It has been nearly five months since the Covid-19 disease broke out in Wuhan, China. Within a month of the first reported case in December 2019, it spread like wildfire, jumping from one region of the world to another, forcing the World Health Organisation (WHO), to declare the killer virus, a pandemic on 30th January, 2020.
Since then, it has further spread to 212 countries and territories infecting nearly 4 million people with reported 268,042 death as at 6.00 pm today, 7th May 2020, Abuja time.
The global approach to tackling the disease was initially the same; mainly the three important tips given by WHO – washing hands with soap, covering mouth and nose at all times and maintaining social distance.
The latter recommendation is what has been giving the world headache, with most countries declaring lockdown for certain periods. Here in Nigeria, the federal govrnment placed Lagos, Ogun and the FCT on lockdown, but lifted the order on Monday after assessing the situation that yielded satisfactory result.
In no time however, Kano became the second most afflicted state in the country thereby drawing the attention of the Federal Government which placed total lockdown order on it.
Governors of the remaining 33 states have also used their executive authority to declare lockdown, curfews and border closures as they deem necessary.
Both the federal and state governments have made efforts to cushion the impact of the lockdown, but they can only do or provide so much, as we lack established social secrity system where citizens’ saved contributions can be given to them in dire moments like this.
There is however both good and bad news surrounding the covid-19 situation. The bad news is that there is not yet 100 % approved cure for the disease.
The good news is that scientists worldwide are working round the clock to find both cure and prevention in the form of vaccine.
Until then, the world will have to make do with the chloroquine phosphate and local herbs that have been used on trial basis. Vitamin C too is said to be working magic on some patients.
I have now incorporated in my family’s diet, fresh oranges and other natural fruits that contain reasonable amount of vitamin c. We should all do that.
Closing schools and places of worship indefinitely is taking a big psychological toll on a nation that is rated as one of the most religious in the world.
A nation that also lacks the capacity to give the millions of its poor school children computers and access to free internet to take online lessons.
I hope that the current measures in place will lead to dramatic improvemts so that schools will in the next few days open and the faithful will resume their religious rituals in mosques and churches.
I will advise health officials, whom I am sure by now, should have enough data on the number of patients that tested positive, yet went on to beat the disease without taking medication, against those who developed sickness from it and died.
I am trying make an analogy of cases of Tuberculosis and Covid-19 that are both communicable. In 1981, while studying for my first degree in Los Angeles, California, the City’s Department of Health sent letters of notice to all the foreign students in my school to report at a certain clinic for TB disease testing. We all tested positive when the lab results came out.
The conclusion of the health officials was that we tested positive because we came from a most prone environment, just like if they tested our blood for malaria parasite, it will return positive, though we did not fall sick or exhibit any sign of the disease.
What I am trying to say here is that if all Nigerians were to be tested for Covid-19, probably half the population or even higher, could test positive, but not necessarily fall sick or even transmit the disease.
After all, news reports from Zambia informed us that even goats and paw-paw tested positive. In the US too, cats have tested positive.
Time to relax the curfews and allow economic and social activities to resume. The longer the nation remains imprisoned, the wilder and nuts the people will become. Something for the authorities to think about.
Iyawa is Nigeria’s ambassador to Mexico
