Editorial
It was foreseen and wished off, but it now seems affirmed: like many other countries, we are into a second wave of the novel coronavirus disease.
Trends in recent weeks have shown a rebound of the pandemic after abatement of infections from the earlier wave. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported a total of 3,820 fresh COVID-19 cases penultimate week – a level that the agency noted was last reported between July 19 and 25 when 3,870 new cases were tallied. That record also marked some 140 percent increase over the preceding week’s total of 1,607 cases. Meanwhile, the total for this past week is certain to be much higher, courtesy of a record 1,145 new confirmed cases reported by NCDC for December 17. It was the highest daily count ever since the pandemic made landfall in Nigeria last March. The country had seen a drop in infections at the time lockdown restrictions were lifted in October, with daily count averaging at less than 200 cases.
The new wave was illustrated recently when no fewer than 26 generals were reported to have tested positive for the new virus after they attended the 2020 Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference in Abuja. Testing was ordered for participants at the conference following the death of Major-Gen. Olu Irefin, who was General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division of the Army in Port Harcourt, of COVID-19 related complications. He had fallen ill at the meeting and was taken to hospital where he was tested positive for COVID-19; he eventually died while receiving treatment. A statement by Army headquarters said the COAS, after calling off the conference, directed all officers in attendance to test for the virus, upon which 417 personnel were tested and 26 confirmed positive. All the attendees immediately moved into isolation with their family members, while those who tested positive commenced medical treatment.
That same week, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu tested positive for the virus, while Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, who is also the chair of Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Control, along his wife moved into self-isolation after members of his household tested positive. So also did Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong late last week. In a statement, the SGF said his self-isolation with his wife was necessitated by safety precaution even though they both tested negative after some household members were found positive. He urged Nigerians to take precautions serious and stay safe, adding: “I would like to remind all that COVID-19 is real. As the (NCDC) announced last week, we are recording an increase in cases across several states.”
The SGF’s appeal cannot be overstressed. We seem confronted with a reality we would wish was otherwise, but it is what it is and we must square up to tackling it. Incidentally, the phenomenon is by no means limited to Nigeria: there is a new wave of COVID-19 across the world and many countries are reverting to lockdown – some in part and others in whole – to head off the fresh surge. A challenge peculiar to this time is that there is a bigger crisis of unbelief now than when the pandemic first broke out. It is as if having been momentarily relieved of grudging compliance with curbs necessitated by COVID-19, many Nigerians, especially at the grassroots, are simply unwilling to re-submit to those curbs. Limitations on public gatherings and other safety protocols are rampantly ignored. Recently, the presidential task force accused religious bodies of sabotaging government efforts to defeat the pandemic, while health minister Osagie Ehanire blamed the rebound in infections on people failing to uphold basic precautions. Already, government has directed that isolation and treatment centres that were shut down as case count dwindled be reopened.
Now is festive season, during which time people typically engage in activities prone to danger of infection by the virus. In a fresh advisory, NCDC reiterated the imperative of safety precautions which include avoiding non-essential domestic and international travels, wearing facemask properly at all times in public, maintaining physical distance from others in public settings, frequently washing one’s hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer when one’s hands are not visibly dirty or running water not readily available, avoiding direct contact with people such as by hugging or handshaking, and staying at home if one feels unwell and promptly calling relevant helplines for assistance. We lend our voice in urging strict adherence to these precautions.
There is a bright spot of imminent availability of vaccines, with government having said it planned to vaccinate 20 million people against the virus beginning from early 2021. But while awaiting that intervention, the wisest thing to do is take precautions that would keep the new surge of the pandemic at bay.
Leave a Reply