Opinion: COVID-19 Infection Rate: The Numbers Game, By Jibrin Ibrahim
The tragedy today is that too many states are playing politics with COVID-19, significantly increasing the risk of infections and death in their communities for the silly image-improving deception that their numbers are down, so that normal life can resume.
The reality was that the federal government got overwhelmed. The key turning point was when officials from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had to run out of Kogi State, their tails between their legs, as the all-powerful Governor Yahaya Bello threatened to lock them up on a two-week quarantine. The governor had decided that there was, and there will be, no incident of COVID-19 in his State.
I agree with him but the problem is that governors run their states and their definition of what is important prevails. Every evening, NCDC releases numbers of infections and casualties of COVID-19 but what do these numbers mean? In each state, the collection of samples is done by task forces set up by the governor. The laboratories can only test what they are given. He who controls the sample set controls the numbers.
Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
COVID-19 infection rate: The numbers game – Daily Trustthe story of Covid-19 has always been about the numbers – the fear that tens of millions of people might be killed by the pandemic, turning the world into the doomsday prediction that has frightened people from antiquity. The world remembers the 1918 flu epidemic in which 500 million people were infected and 50 million […]
Read more »
COVID-19: Kwara explains spike in coronavirus infectionKwara State government on Wednesday, called on the Federal government to expedite action on setting up a COVID-19 testing centre in the state. The government expressed its readiness to offer all the necessary cooperation to ease the setting up of the facility, as it would strengthen the capacity to test more samples. A statement by
Read more »
COVID-19: Benue reopens worship centres, markets – Daily TrustThe Benue State Government, Wednesday, reopened worship centres and markets across the state after a two-month lockdown to contain COVID-19. Gov. Samuel Ortom announced the decision after the State Executive Council met with the State Action Committee on COVID-19 at the Government House in Makurdi. Ortom said, “Churches and mosques are to open for services. […]
Read more »
NCDC opens new COVID-19 testing laboratory in Abuja - HealthwiseLara Adejoro One new COVID-19 testing laboratory has been added to the list of molecular laboratory network in the country to increase testing capacity for COVID-19. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Wednesday made this known via its official twitter handleNCDCgov. This brings the total number of laboratories in the country with the capacity …
Read more »
UPDATED: Kogi records new COVID-19 case
Read more »
WHO resumes COVID-19 trial on hydroxychloroquine - HealthwiseLara Adejoro The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says it will resume its trial of hydroxychloroquine. Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing on COVID-19 on Wednesday. The WHO had on May 25 suspended the clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 treatment because of safety concerns. The WHO DG on Wednesday, however, …
Read more »