On the planet Earth,
precisely at 31 December 2019, the first reported case of a virulent outbreak
was reported in Wuhan, China. The first case outside of China was reported in
Thailand on 13 January 2020.It was later identified as 2019-nCoV and declared as Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO).It was meant to highlight concern about the spread of the disease, but also to let it be known that it still fell short of the criteria for a pandemic.
By the
time the WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the
disease a pandemic on the 11th of March 2020, the horse had bolted from her
stables.
Since then, this ongoing
outbreak has now spread to more than 27% of the total 195 countries of the
world. WHO declares COVID-19 outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of
International Concern (PHEIC) by WHO on 30 January 2020.
On the 27nd of February, an Italian who had recently arrived in Lagos was the first patient to be documented with the virus in Nigeria. Despite the fact that Lagos, the host state had been preparing for the possibility of similar development and had setup an Incident Command Centre four weeks before the recorded case, it was more or less awkward awakening for the nation when the pandemic finally arrived on its shores. The patient was admitted to the Isolation Unit at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba.
COVID-19 is caused by a
new type of coronavirus which was previously named 2019-nCoV by the World
Health Organization (WHO). It is the seventh member of the coronavirus family,
together with MERSnCoV and SARS-nCoV, and are not just contagious but zoonotic.
As at today, there are 4,126,890 reported CoVID 19 cases, about 7%
deaths, and about 36% recovery cases with the remaining 57% either under
critical condition or quarantining.
Regarding Africa, 98% of the countries are affected, 3.7% deaths,
33.7% recovered cases, with the bulk occurrence in South Africa 15.6%. The
symptoms of the infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and
diarrhea. In more severe cases, COVID-19 can cause pneumonia and even death
with an incubation period of COVID-19 can last for 2 weeks or longer and,
during the period of latent infection, the disease may still be infectious. The
virus can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets and close
contact.
Imagine an age where humans
have walked in the moon where men are inclined to see himself as the Grand
master of the universe, armed with a sophisticated solution to almost
everything, COVID-19 has apparently brought man’s Ego to its heel in a way
which even the Spanish flu never thought of.
The good news is that, CoVID 19 now have a cure
but the chance or recovery after contracting it is less than probabilistic 1.
Also, the demand for COVID-19
tests is still far outpaces, and hospitals preparing for the wave of incoming
patients are of the fear that crucial supplies will run out. These problems
require systemic solutions, but people are not powerless. Individuals can do their
part simply by washing their hands frequently, social distancing and vial good
nutrition to fortify the body immunes. Temporary isolation may be what’s
required to help the whole country rebound from COVID-19, together but the
luxury of time required to facilitate this reality is not readily at our
disposal. We only have to be self disciplined in order not to die the death of
a once loved backyard chicken.
We are all here for a
reason, the pandemic has come, it would go well in
due time sooner than anyone expects. Do good and stay safe!
