[OPINION] Like Ebola, like coronavirus: We shall see its end
Since the novel coronavirus disease began wreaking havoc in China in January, one wish many Nigerians had nursed was that it would not come into Nigeria. But because of the affinity between China and Nigeria, many knew it was a pipe dream. The interconnectivity within the world also worsened the situation. It was only a matter of time for coronavirus to enter Nigeria.
On the afternoon of February 26, he developed a fever and body aches. The medical staff of his company contacted the biosecurity authorities, who transferred him to a containment facility in Yaba, Lagos State. On February 27, the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, which is an arm of the laboratory network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, confirmed that the Italian had contracted the coronavirus disease. He was then quarantined.
In reaction to the rapid spread of the virus, some countries have adopted stiff measures. For example, Turkey announced that from last Sunday, all passenger flights to and from Italy, Iraq and South Korea had been halted. This follows the suspension of all passenger flights between Turkey and Iran and China. In addition, land crossings between Turkey and neighbouring Iraq had also been closed.
It was not surprising that last week the Senate alleged that the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies were taking things for granted on the issue of coronavirus. It warned that Nigeria could not afford to be caught unawares before waking up to take the right preventive steps. Sharing his experiences, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, who introduced the motion, compared what he saw in Nigeria with what he witnessed in South Africa. “I was in South Africa on Friday. I came back yesterday. Because of the issue of coronavirus, every country in the world is taking preventive measures because the wisdom is that prevention is better than cure. In South Africa, we were not allowed to leave the aircraft for 30 minutes.
Interestingly, while the Senate was discussing the issue and issuing the red alert, the first victim of coronavirus had already passed through the airport in Lagos and was resting comfortably in Nigeria, without anyone knowing. The fear now is that more carriers of the virus may come into Nigeria through different countries and routes in the days ahead. It seems Nigeria prefers fire-fighting to fire prevention.
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