Festus ERIYE
IF 2020 was the year of the coronavirus, then 2021 is already shaping to be more of the same. Less than twenty four hours into the New Year, the raging pandemic is showing little sign of slowing down and vaccines roll outs could take several months to reach most people.
If you needed evidence these are not ordinary times, then look no further than the latest measures taken by several states to restrict what is one largest religious gatherings of the year – the so-called ‘Crossover’ services.
Several states have expressly barred churches from holding the meetings which attract unusually large crowds as many put much store by entering a new year in the church environment. Many states hid under the 12.00 midnight to 4.00pm curfew imposed by the Federal Government to resist pressure from Christians who had been denied something they cherish so much. But as some have argued there would be other ‘Crossover’ nights for those who outlive this pandemic.
With the numbers trending upwards, governments across the country are veering into panic mode, fearing that existing facilities could easily be overrun if the current spike spirals out of control.
That is, of course, with the exception of Kogi State where Yahaya Bello, the famously denialist governor, continues with his insistence that COVID-19 is non-existent in his domain. He went on Channels Television on Sunday to repeat his controversial claim and boast about mass testing carried out by his administration.
The trouble with his claims is that they don’t line up with facts provided by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Kogi has a population of 3.5 million people, but had tested only 425 samples as at December 11. So much for mass testing!
Bello’s denial is the direct opposite of what’s going on in Rivers State where Governor Nyesom Wike, who at the height of the first wave famously bulldozed two hotels for violating lockdown measures, threatening a return to the harsh shutdown regime in the light of the deadly second wave.
Speaking at a church service on Sunday, he hinted his hand might be forced beginning January because the state ends up picking the bill. “If you don’t comply, I have no choice, but to shut down the churches; Pentecostal, Catholic, Anglican. I have no choice because when you have it, who spends the money? It is the state that treats. So, we need to use the money for some other things, but not for this.”
The governor’s threat has his people up in arms begging for mercy on every media platform. Rather than locking everyone up, they suggest he enforces existing regulations because the economic price would be too much for people to bear.
Some even suggested that instead of the bitter lockdown pill, Wike should ban Nigerians returning from overseas from entering the state. While at it he should also shut the door against those coming from states with high number of infections.
That would include states like Lagos, the original epicentre of the first wave. The number of infections is already rising here as it keeps pace with a similar trend in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
But the Lagos authorities has always been quick of mark and in the last few days they have shut a number of event centres which violated existing rules for operating in these times. The facilities include one where a monster party was held and the crowd was as packed as sand on the beach. On the bandstand was a famous Fuji musicians whose sonorous voice caressed the carousing crowd.
It is not known if anyone picked up an infection at the event. But what is clear going by similar patterns from around the world, is this party met every yardstick for classification as a superspreader event. One post on social media identified an attendee who just passed on due to COVID-19 complications.
The amazing thing is that the vast majority of those who crowded themselves into that party are the elite who by their education and exposure should know better.
While the reckless rich are partying away like its 1999, the fraudulent and the desperate are making common cause with them. Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, on Monday raised the alarm over the sale of fake COVID-19 test certificates in the state.
He said some people who just returned to the country were patronising crooks who sell these dodgy COVID-19 certificates. Abayomi says the government is working to apprehend those engaged in this criminal venture. Hopefully, they may nick a few of these characters. But when you consider that the fake drugs business is still thriving in these parts there’s very little room for optimism.
One developments that has nations shivering in their boots is the mutation of the virus. Different highly infectious strains have been identified in the UK, US and South Africa. A similar mutation said to be of a separate lineage from those mentioned above has been found in Nigeria according to the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), John Nkengasong.
The good news is that while these mutations might be more infectious, they are not necessarily deadlier than earlier ones. They don’t appear to make you sicker than other strains currently in circulation. Even better news is the fact that the new vaccines seem to be effective against both old and new strains.
Spare a thought for frontline workers like doctors and nurses who must be watching with envy as their colleagues in Europe and the US become the earliest recipients of the COVID-19 vaccines. In Nigeria, the best armour they have going into daily battle with this beastly virus are flimsy PPEs. Little wonder that last weekend the Nigerian Medical Association chairman in the FCT reported that 20 doctors had succumbed to coronavirus in one week.
It has also emerged that 476 health workers, among them doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory staff, drivers and other auxiliary personnel were infected by the virus since the first case was recorded in the FCT. Figures are not yet available to paint a full picture of the toll on medical workers across the country.
But whether you are a frontline worker or just an anonymous citizen struggling to outlast the pandemic, stay safe and don’t become another COVID statistic.
Leave a Reply