By Isaac Asabor
When President Trump unleashed a tirade against the World Health Organization (WHO) in May 2020, accusing it of acting too slowly to warn governments across the world about the surge in coronavirus, he probably failed to realize that WHO cannot force government officials and health experts in various countries to heed to its warnings. Recall that it was not the first time in this pandemic that the global health body faced such criticism.
Again, the criticism against the global health body was so pervasive and acerbic that some of its critics derogatorily dubbed it the “Chinese Health Organization” because of what they described as its close ties to Beijing. Surprisingly, the criticism followed a political trajectory when Taiwanese officials say WHO ignored its early warnings about the virus because China refuses to allow Taiwan, a self-governing island its claims as its territory, to become a member.
As if that was not enough, critics say WHO has been too trusting of the Chinese government, which initially tried to conceal the outbreak in Wuhan. Others in the same vein faulted the organization and its leader, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, for moving too slowly in declaring a global health emergency.
Be that as it may, the apprehension of this writer, as a Journalist and a public affairs analyst, is that Nigeria is unarguably turning a deaf hear to WHO’s warnings again as there have not been any statement that shows that proactive measures were been taken by our health bodies, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), being the country’s national public health institute, with the mandate to lead the preparedness, detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.
I must confess that I am not insensitive to the fact that some readers of this piece, and who have in the recent times read my opinions that focused on the need for the government to do the needful against the resurgence of Covid-19 pandemic may likely dismiss this view with mere wave of the hand, saying, “This writers that exaggerates a danger and causes needless worry or panic has started again”. Aptly put, they would say in pidgin, “Dis Alarmist don come again!
To me, I will not see myself as an alarmist as epidemiological reports have once again began to make headlines on media space.
For instance, the online edition of Daily Independent newspaper on December 12, 2020 at 1.08am reported the death of Sam Nda Isaiah, publisher of Leadership Group of Newspapers as a breaking news. He was reported to have died at a popular Isolation Centre in Abuja. He was aged 58. In a similar vein, the online edition of Daily Nigerian reported that the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has gone into self-isolation as his close aides and an immediate family member tested positive for COVID-19.
Daily Nigerian in its reportage recalled that on March 28, the governor went on self-isolation after testing positive to the virus, saying that in a short video message on Friday, the governor said he would be tested on Sunday, promising to update the public on the outcome of the test.
Prior to the announcements of the foregoing cases to Nigerians, the Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Akin Abayomi has disclosed on Friday afternoon that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will go into self-isolation immediately after one of his close aides tested positive for Covid-19 on December 10, 2020.
Mr. Abayomi, in a statement on Friday, said that Mr. Sanwo-Olu and some members of his cabinet would remain in isolation until the results of the tests held on Friday are available.
He noted, “We are seeing a slightly increasing number of Covid-19 positive cases in clusters in Lagos.
“All residents of Lagos should adhere to the prescribed advisories of safe distancing, washing of hands, respiratory hygiene and avoidance of unnecessary gatherings,” Mr. Abayomi said.
Amidst the foregoing sad news, Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, on Thursday warned that Nigeria may be on the verge of a second wave of Covid-19 infections, even as another official said the country expects to roll out a vaccine by April next year.
The minister, while speaking at a news conference in Abuja, said 1,843 cases were recorded last week compared with 1,235 two weeks before that.
“We may just be on the verge of a second wave of this pandemic,” he said. His comments came a day after South Africa said it had officially entered a second wave.
Ehanire, in a weekly briefing by Covid-19 Task Force, said the rise in cases was mostly driven by an increase in infections within communities and, to a lesser extent, by travelers entering Nigeria.
He said he had ordered the reopening of all isolation and treatment centers that had being closed because of falling patient numbers.
In the same vein, the WHO has on Friday warned that Christmas celebrations could turn to tears if people fail to keep up their guard against Covid-19 during the festive season.
WHO Chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of deaths in the coronavirus pandemic was surging and urged people to think very carefully about their holiday season plans.
“The festive season is a time to relax and celebrate but… celebration can very quickly turn to sadness if we fail to take the right precautions,” he told a news conference.
“As you prepare to celebrate over the coming weeks, please, please consider your plans carefully. If you live in an area with high transmission, please take every precaution to keep yourselves and others safe.
“That could be the best gift you could give — the gift of health.”
Tedros, said there had been a 60 percent increase worldwide in deaths from the respiratory disease over the past six weeks, while Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19 said that some continents are witnessing bigger death toll surges than others.
She said there had been nearly a 100 percent increase in the number of deaths per week in the WHO’s Europe region over the past six weeks, a 54 percent increase in the Americas and 50 percent in Africa.
To my view, and given the extant realities as expressed in this context, both the federal and state governments should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of Covid-19 infection. Preparations should be vigorously made by the governments in response to WHO’s warning that Christmas celebrations could turn to tears if people fail to keep up their guard against Covid-19 during the festive season.
