Conoravirus: Anambra’s Proactive Response
The Coronavirus, known as COVID-19, which has been devastating the world since late last December, has not reached Anambra State, Nigeria’s safest state. Still, on Monday, March 23, Governor Willie Obiano shut down schools and directed civil servants not on essential services to work from home but also set up a 23-person Coronavirus Attack Team to work against the contagion in the state. To underscore the importance of the team’s work, Governor Obiano chose to head the team himself. Other members include the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the Secretary to the State Government, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, the Commissioner for Health and his counterpart in the Ministry of Information and Public Enlightenment, the state Commissioner of Police, heads of the two teaching hospitals in the state and specialists from relevant fields.
TheAnambra State government has once again demonstrated its belief in the old aphorism that prevention is better than cure. The cost of preventing the viral outbreak is, in every sense, far cheaper than the cost of managing the crisis if it erupts. If the contagion could wreck Europe, China, South Korea and the United States, with all their sophisticated advances in medicare, it is not difficult to imagine what could be the fate ofAfrican countries if the virus spreads here. Had the Italian,American and British leaders, for instance, acted promptly as theAnambra State government when the contagion was reported in their respective nations, the situation would have been as cataclysmic as it is in each of these places today. Italy records on some days over 700 deaths. No wonder open religious services have been closed all over the country, including the Vatican. In the United Kingdom, the British prime minister has issued a stay-at-home order to all. Some countries are on lockdown.
Anambra State has in the last few years displayed uncanny leadership, and its latest attempt to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus in Nigeria since the nation’s index case was reported on February 27 is just the latest brave effort to grapple with the pandemic. TheAnambra State administration is the first government in the country to call citizens’ attention to the grave danger which the contagion poses. It played this role because it is fully conscious that its people are the most travelled in the whole country, and they frequently visit China and other nations hit by the pandemic for business. The government has also taken other measures like suspending burials of up to 30 persons, partiesandtitletakingceremoniestillthesituationimproves.
NdiAnambraneedtocooperatefullywiththegovernmentinthe campaignagainsttheCOVID-19.Therearealotofmarketsandmotor parksaswellaschurchesinthestatewhichrecordverylargenumbers ofpeople.TheOnitshaMainMarketisreputedtobethelargestopen marketinWestAfrica.Movementinthemarketisdifficultbecause ofthelargecrowdsofpeoplewhobuyandselltheredaily,including thosewhocomefromWestandCentralAfrica.Inotherwords,the marketsandmotorgaragesinNigeriaarepotentialareaswherethe viruscanspreadfast,sinceitiscontractedmostlythroughperson-topersoncontactandphysicalsurfaces.
Thereareunfortunatelypeoplewhoarenotyetawareofthevirus. Thisignoranceismorepronouncedinruralareas.Worse,thereare peoplewhoareawareofthehighlyinfectiousdisease,butstrangelybelievethatitcannotgettoNigeriabecauseofthefalsebeliefthatitcannot surviveinourhotclimate.Thisbeliefpersistsdespitethatthefactthat therearealreadyover40COVID-19patientsinNigeria,includingthe sonofaformervicepresident,AtikuAbubakar.Moredishearteningis thelargegroupofNigerians,manyofthemeducated,whobelieve,for superstitiousandotherstrangereasons,thattheycannotbeinfected. Thereare,inaddition,thosewhobelievethatthediseasecanbetreated easilywithhoney,garlic,gingerandhotwater.
NdiAnambraareenjoinedtoseekpropertreatmentfromdoctors andothermedicalstaffmemberstrainedtomanageviraloutbreaks liketheCoronavirus.Symptomsofthediseasearehighfever,vomiting,cough,sneezinganddifficultbreathing.Anypersonshowing anyofthesesymptomsshouldnotindulgeinselfmedicationon theassumptionthatheorsheisafflictedbymalariaoranycommon diseasebutshouldratherimmediatelycontactthestate’sPublicHealth EmergencyOperationCentreviatelephonenumbers08030953771 and08117567363.Ithastobenotedthatapersonmaybeacarrier withoutshowinganyofthesymptoms.Thisiswhythegovernment hasbeenadvisingpersonswhohaveinthelasttwoweeksvisitedany ofthecountrieswithupto1000recordedcasesofCOVID-19toisolate themselvesfor14days.Theearlierthediseaseisdetectedtheeasieritis totreat.Thegovernmentwillbearthetreatmentcost.
Therearethreehospitalsinthestatewithisolationcentres.Theyare NnamdiAzikiweTeachingHospitalinNnewi,ChukwuemekaOdumegwuOjukwuTeachingHospitalinAwkaandOnitshaGeneral Hospital.ChukwuemekaOdumegwuOjukwuTeachingHospital, EkwulobiaGeneralHospitalinAguataLocalGovernmentAreaand UmueriGeneralHospitalinAnambraEastLGAhavesurgecentres, that is, they can absorb patients who may not be accommodated in the three hospitals with isolation centres based on existing facilities.
Traditional rulers, presidents general of town unions, market groups, transport unions, trade unions, professional groups, the organized private sector, civil servants as well as religious leaders should be in the frontlines of the spirited campaign to ensure that our state is spared COVID-19. It is not the job of the government or medical doctors to fight this monster alone, but that of every person.
Each of us can contribute meaningfully to the campaign by washing our hands regularly with water and soap for 20 seconds which must be poured away if it is in a bowel, by airdrying our hands instead of drying them with towel or handkerchief because it may be contaminated, by using hand sanitizers always, by not shaking hands or hugging each other, by keeping away from people by some six feet, and by regularly cleaning door handles and rail surfaces with liquids containing up to 60% alcohol. It is reassuring that a lot of hotels, hospitals, offices and homes have been observing these rules. Churches, markets, motor parks, transport owners and operators have also joined in observing these rules.
TheAnambra State Government has shown the light, and the people are happily finding the way. God blessAnambra State, the Light of the Nation.