Breaking: Sanwo-Olu announces school resumption dates

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, this afternoon, directs all Lagos tertiary Institutions to re-open on September 14. Primary & secondary schools will resume on Sept 21.

All dates are tentative.

Seven WAEC candidates test positive for Covid-19

Seven students writing the West African Examination Council, WAEC, WASSCE in Ogun State have tested positive for Covid-19.

This is coming after parents refused the payment of N25,000 imposed on the government to test the candidates for Covid-19 before the examination.

 The parents insisted that the COVID-19 test should be free, noting that asking them to pay N25, 000, to get a candidate tested, without being mindful of the current economic reality in the country, was the height of insensitivity.

More details later 

Naira Marley to pay N200,000 for his crime

Popular musician, Azeez Fashola aka Naira Marley, has been fined N200,000 by a Mobile Court in Abuja for violating coronavrus (COVD-19) protocols on June 13, 2020.

Fashola pleaded guilty on Friday to a four-count charge filed against him by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for partaking in a music concert in Abuja in violation of COVID-19 directives.

Magistrate Idayat Akanni handed down the fine after Fashola pleaded guilty to the charge.

The concert held at the Jabi Lake Mall attracted public condemnation, with many, who attended breaking protocols at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Naira Marley was said to have flown in a chartered plane initially meant to convey a Lagos judge to the Federal Capital Territory for a concert on July 13 this year.

Lagos records decline in Covid-19 positive cases - to reopen worship centres, others

It’s cheery news in Lagos State. A period of general decrease in confirmed positive cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been recorded in the State for the second week.

 Following the decline in positive cases, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has relaxed some of the lockdown measures taken by the State Government in response to the spread of the pandemic.

 In his 17th briefing on COVID-19 response held at the State House in Marina on Saturday, the Governor directed the re-opening of places of worship in the State, starting from August 7 for mosques and August 9 for churches.

 The Governor also directed the re-opening of social clubs with registered trustees and recreational centres from August 14, but with the condition that they obtain a provisional safety compliance certificate from the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC).

 Besides, Sanwo-Olu relaxed the public gathering regulation, increasing the permissible capacity from 20 to 50 persons at a given period. Night clubs, entertainment centres and cinemas to remain closed, the Governor ordered.

 From August 14, restaurants can now resume in-dining services, but at 50 per cent occupancy capacity. Also, safety clearance must be obtained from the Safety Commission before resuming the in-dining services.

 In the case of places of worship, only regular services or religious gatherings are permitted. Night Vigils and other non-regular events remain prohibited until further notice. Also, attendees of over the age of 65 years are strongly discouraged from attending worship centres, the Governor said, adding that all worship centres must adhere to face mask guideline.

 The Governor said the new development followed a careful review of emerging positive events, stressing the decisions to relax the lockdown measures was to create a balance between competing demands of safeguarding lives of the residents and preserving their means of livelihoods.

 He said: “Having carefully reviewed the current scenario in Lagos, we have taken some important decisions in line with the ongoing objective of calibrating an effective balance between the competing demands of safeguarding lives and enabling livelihoods.

“Places of worship in Lagos will be allowed to open from Friday, August 7, for our Muslim worshippers, and Sunday, August 9, for Christian worshippers, but only at 50 per cent of their regular capacity. Worship centres whose main worship period falls on Saturdays are equally permitted to hold their services, subject to the same guidelines as churches holding services on Sundays.

“Social clubs and recreational centers will also be allowed to open from August 14, on the condition that they have applied for and obtained a provisional safety compliance certificate via registration on LSSC website. The clearance certificates are at this time being issued only to social clubs with registered trustees.

“Restaurants will now be permitted to open for in-dining services, from August 14, on the condition that they maintain a 50 per cent occupancy capacity. The restaurants must obtain a provisional safety compliance certificate through the LSSC registration portal. We are also increasing the permissible capacity for public gatherings from 20 to 50 persons. This applies to a wide range of events, from funerals, social events to corporate meetings.”

All the mandatory prevention and control measures issued by the State Government must be strictly adhered to, including physical distancing, mandatory temperature checks and use of masks in public places, regular disinfection of premises, and strong personal hygiene.

Worship centres and social clubs that re-open without complying with the mandatory hygienic protocols and physical distancing requirements will be shut down and face the wrath of the law, the Governor warned.

Sanwo-Olu said the State Government patterned its response strategy after Mumbai, an India populous city that share similar demographic and climatic conditions with Lagos. He observed that Lagos had recorded similar results and successes with Mumbai in its COVID-19 response.

Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the State Government, on Friday night, shut the Eti-Osa isolation centre, adding that the Agidingbi isolation centre would also be shut for the relocation of patients to a large capacity centre in Anthony area, which will be soon commissioned.

He added that the Government had activated a process of reverting the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in Yaba to its status as a care centre to cater to all forms of infectious diseases. The tent built by Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) at IDH premises will remain strictly for management of COVID-19 cases, Sanwo-Olu buttressed.

He said: “We have run through a model that shows that we have built excess isolation capacity over the last five months. We have to come to a stage where we need to balance the economics of risk, as to which isolation facility should we need to keep running. Some of the isolation centres are having less than 20 per cent of their occupancy capacities. This is why we concluded to shut Eti-Osa facility and another one in Lekki.”

In the coming days, the Governor said the opening hours for food and non-food markets may be extended to 5pm on their opening days.

Sanwo-Olu said secondary schools should re-open as earlier communicated by the Ministry of Education, from August 3, for Exit Classes only – SSS3 and Technical Studies III (TEC 3)students only.

This, he said, would allow them to have two-week preparation period to participate in revision classes in preparation for the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations. (WASSCE) The Governor said all standard precautions must be put in place by school authorities to protect the students.

Sanwo-Olu urged compliance to the measures outlined in the new regulations, stressing that LSSC has a statutory responsibility to monitor the activities and operations of all organisations and worship centres that have been permitted to re-open.

He said: “As I always say, people need to take responsibility for themselves and their loved ones. Self-regulation is the order of the day, and no one should wait for the government to regulate them or their conduct, even though we will be doing so. Everyone of us must take up the responsibility and ensure that we are self-regulating ourselves in our interest and that of our loved ones.”

Boy in calm down video to meet Sanwo Olu

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has expressed willingness to meet the unidentified boy in a viral video, asking his mother to ‘calm down’ as she attempts to beat him over an offence.

In the video, the boy is seen appealing to his mother to “calm down and rest a little,” evoking laughter from social media users.

He also tells his mother to pardon him, saying “this is my last chance,” a phrase that provokes further laughter.

In his Sallah message to Lagosians, the Governor on his official twitter handle @jidesanwoolu said he was inspired by the video “because of the deeper meaning it conveys,” urging residents to “calm down.”

He said: “I saw a video of a charming young boy online asking his mom to ‘calm down’ as she was set to punish him for a misdemeanour.

“I was moved by his sobriety, which reflected in his promise of “last chance”, when confronted with the fact that he is a regular offender.

“The exchange was indeed funny, but it depicted the efforts parents put in moulding children into responsible adults. I want to assume that his mom indeed calmed down because the appeal was moving enough to make anyone change their mind.

“Interestingly, the video inspired this special message to the good people of Lagos State because of the deeper meaning it conveys.

“Fellow Lagosians, we need to ‘calm down’ as we enjoy the coming holiday and festivity.

“It is a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s heart of sacrifice and faith in Allah. We need to emulate and demonstrate his sense of self- restraint at this time the world is combating the scourge of #COVID19.

“We need to be moderate in our celebration and observe prescribed protocols towards defeating the deadly coronavirus. The world needs the responsibility and commitment of its people to oust coronavirus.

“I urge every Lagosian to ‘calm down’ and not get carried away. Like the rest of the world, we are still in the middle of a pandemic and need to remain extremely careful to keep the gains of the sacrifices we have all made in the past months. Let’s calm down!”

The Governor then expressed willingness to meet the boy though he didn’t indicate for what.

“As an aside, I would like to meet the young boy since we both now have exclusive rights to the phrasal verb ‘calm down’. Slightly smiling face,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The Nation

BREAKING: FG announces public holidays for Eid-el-Kabir

The Federal Government has declared Thursday July 30 and Friday July 31 as public holidays for 2020 Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

The declaration was made via a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Georgina Ehuriah.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, in the statement congratulated Muslim faithful and all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on the occasion.

He called on the Muslims to continue to imbibe the spirit of love, peace, kindness and sacrifice, as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) and to also use the period to pray for peace, unity, prosperity and the stability of the country especially as the world is witnessing global health challenges caused by Covid-19 pandemic.

BREAKING: FG announces, WAEC, school resumption dates

The Federal Government has said secondary schools in the country will reopen on August 4, 2020 for pupils in exit classes to sit for their examination.

The government said students will have two weeks to prepare for the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE,  organised by the West Africa Examination Council, WAEC.

WAEC exams, the government said will commence on 17th of August, 2020.

The government announced the decision at the end of a virtual consultative meeting between the Federal Ministry of Education, Commissioners of Education of the 36 states, the Nigerian Union of Teachers, (NUT), the proprietors of private schools, and Chief Executives of examination bodies.

In a statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, FMoE, Ben Goong, said “stakeholders at the meeting agreed that the exit classes should resume immediately after the Sallah break, from the 4th of August, 2020 to enable them prepare for the WAEC examinations scheduled to commence from the 17th of August, 2020.

“The meeting also resolved that a passionate appeal be made to the Federal Government through the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and public spirited Nigerians for assistance to schools across the country to enable them fast track the preparations of safe reopening, as agreed.

“Another meeting is to be convened tomorrow between the Federal Ministry of Education and Chief Executives of examination bodies namely, NECO, NABTEB and NBAIS to harmonise their examination dates, which will be conveyed to stakeholders expeditiously by the Federal Ministry of Education.”

30 mins of shocking revelations by Tolu Arotile's family

She used to do only three things- Father

Her birth was a miracle- Mother 

I suspect fowl-play- Sister 

It's barely a week since the death of flying officer and first Nigerian first female combat helicopter pilot, Tolulope Arotile died in a car accident.
As Nigerians from all over the world try to wrap their heads around what might have caused her death, journalists met with her family at their Lokoja residence to speak with them about her times and life. Her family knew her as a prayer warrior who worshipped God dedicatedly. They also revealed that she was on a two weeks fasting and prayer when she died as they expressed fears that she might have been killed, writes Medinat Kanabe.

Father of late Arotile, Akintunde Arotile who summoned courage to speak with journalists narrated how he got the news of his daughter's demise. He said: "Around 6:30 somebody called me from Abuja that something happened to my daughter but they have rushed her to intensive care at the specialist hospital in the Airforce Base, Kaduna. I was surprised because she said she wasn't going out but was going to be with her elder sister that day. So I tried to call to find out what happened but her phone was ringing and she didn't pick. I called her colleagues but they told me that it was a small injury and she was being taken care of. 

"After calling and calling we got to know what happened." 

Asked what his next plans are, he said traditionally, the burial will be a military burial, as he debunked rumours flying round that his family got a premonition of her death from a pastor. "We didn't know anything and we weren't praying to avert any death at that time. On that faithful day, I called her in the morning and her mother also spoke with her so there was nothing like that."

Asked what he will miss about her, he said talking about her in the past tense is very painful because it isn't easy to lose a child. "Tolu is a gifted child who has a very high IQ and on her own, she worked really hard to improve on it. She doesn't go out except for her work or church. She is a special child, like a special creation by God because there are things she will do and we will begin to wonder. She is so close to God and she does only three things; sleeping, working or praying.

"I know that even before they took her dead body from under the car that reversed, she was already with God in paradise and that is my only consolation. I am sure they will give her a special place," he said.

Her mother, Mrs Olufunke Naomi Arotile who was in tears as she spoke said she gave birth to five children and Tolulope was her fourth child.

"How I gave birth to her, I don’t know. As soon as I entered the hospital, the nurses told me that my baby is already out and I should be wheeled in but I wasn't feeling it or any pain so I told them that I would walk and as soon as we got to the labour room, she came out easily and quiet."

As if seeing her daughter as she spoke, Mrs Arotile repeated Tbaby, I love you, twice before continuing; she said  before her daughter turned two she had started fasting and praying along with her. 

"Tolu and her elder sister Bimbo would stay with me until I broke my fast. She is a prayer warrior and I thank God for giving her to me but she didn't tell me that she would leave me so soon," she said.

Recalling her first year in the military school, she said "she came back home on her first holiday with marks on her body. She changed so much that when I went to pick her at the bus stop I couldn't recognize her until I got close to her. I was so heart broken that l told her that she wasn't going back to the academy but she looked at me and said if I truly loved her I would let her go and just keep praying for her.

“We kept praying for her and God kept lifting her up more than our expectation. Few weeks ago she told me that she always pray for me, she said that I will live and eat the fruit of my labour, that she will take good care of me promising me that I will not suffer. At the point of death Tolu was fasting. She was on a two weeks fasting and prayer. I even used to appeal to her to slow down on the prayer and fasting."

She said she will miss Arotile who was going to turn 24 on 13th December. "I will miss her calls. She tells me everyday that she prays for me. She even said it on the day that she died. We didn't know that she was going out that day, she just told us that she would be at home because she just finished her promotion examinations and would be home with her sister," she concluded.

Also speaking, her elder sister, Damilola Arotile- Adegboye who dropped off at the Airforce Maami market few minutes before she was killed said she got the information of her sister's death online and felt disappointed because she was at the base. 

"I dropped her off at the base myself and she insisted on going to laminate her certificate. I wanted to wait for her but she said that I shouldn't worry that the distance from the Maami market where I dropped her to the quarters is a short distance.

"We had a long day because we had a lot of things to do before she got a call to go to the base. She was supposed to have resumed but they said because of the weather they couldn't get her deployment letter ready officially and I don’t know why. I left her at the Maami market at 4:41pm which is about 45 minutes to my house. 

"I had not settled in when I got a call from her fiancé that there had been an accident. I was shocked because I know the Airforce base is not a place where people can speed and there are speed breakers everywhere. I immediately drove to the hospital and tried to see her but I wasn't allowed in because of the coronavirus outbreak but when I left the base, I saw online that she was dead. When I called her colleagues it was confirmed."

Adegboye who said she suspects a fowl-play said every child of her parent except the last child attended Airforce Secondary School, Kaduna "so we know where the speed breakers are so for anyone to speed on that road, it is either intentional or some other reason but I believe that the military will investigate it thoroughly because Tolu was an asset to them and I know that they wouldn’t want to allow anyone take away what they have invested so in just like that. I also heard that the boys in the car that killed her have been arrested."

According to her, the boys who killed her sister claim they are her classmate but she knows that it is not true. "I was also told that there was a huge impact on the car. I am not a scientist but my sister doesn't have weight at all. I know that she was fasting at that time and her weight was about 49 so where did the impact come from. She is very skinny, very tiny and she is not tall as well and the impact on the car I saw is very much and I am confused. 

Thanking the medical personnel for allowing her see her sister's body she said "I was opportune to see her body and I saw that she was well taken care of, she was cleaned, smiling and I didn't believe that she was gone."

She called on government and the military to investigate the death thoroughly and I as she said whatever they say is their findings she will believe but silence from them will give room for speculations. 

Covid-19: Fear over malnutrition heightens

May, 2020

In pre-COVID-19 era, Nigeria had recorded estimated 2.5 million children suffering from acute malnutrition. With the virus spreading and the lockdowns, there are fears that the malnutrition rate may increase, writes MEDINAT KANABE.

There was pandemonium at the Ojo area of Lagos State some days back. Reason: A woman had just discovered that her three children were dead. It was already over a month since the total lockdown in the state and neither the woman nor her husband could go out to eke out a living.

According to neighbours, they had been managing to feed since the lockdown as the husband who is a vulcanizer had not had any job to do and she couldn’t go out to sell her wares either.

Out of frustration, the woman was said to have given her children who had not eaten anything for two days, some medicine to sleep pending the time their father would come back as he had found a way to go out to look for food for them.

When he returned, they tried to wake the children up. Shockingly, they were dead.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), child malnutrition is a direct or underlying cause of 45 per cent of all deaths of children under five years worldwide.

Malnutrition refers to getting too little or too much nutrients. It can lead to serious health issues, including stunted growth, eye problems, diabetes and heart disease.

Currently, Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 per cent of children under five.

Estimated 2.5 million children in Nigeria suffer from severe malnutrition, but only two out of every 10 children affected is currently reached with treatment.

There’ll be increased malnutrition: UNICEF

When The Nation contacted UNICEF, its Chief of Nutrition, Simeon Nanama said amid COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF has intensified efforts in the fight against child malnutrition in Nigeria.

According to him, with the rise in the scourge of COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF has rejigged its fight against child malnutrition, even as he added that before the outbreak of the pandemic Nigeria was struggling with child malnutrition both as a public health and development concern.

He said Nigeria relies heavily on oil and the price of oil has gone down because of COVID-19. This has greatly impacted its economy.

Internally Nigeria is on lockdown and a lot of people who rely on daily work to earn a living are all in their homes. Nanama said this will have an impact on nutrition.

“Again, these mitigation measures are happening at the beginning of the rainy season.  If they had to be extended, they will affect the planting season.

This will result in medium-and long-term impact on food security and this, in the long run, will affect child malnutrition,” he said.

On the problem associated with the lockdown, which he said is the disruption of the food system which is critically important for nutrition, he said: “We will see an increase in malnutrition.

We will also see a spread in the geographic distribution of malnutrition because the lockdown is more severe in some states than in others.

“Also, cities where lockdowns appear to be more enforced, may become the new centres of child malnutrition, which has not been the pattern of malnutrition in Nigeria.”

On what they have done, he said UNICEF has done a COVID-19 proofing of its nutrition programme, which aims to ensure that it continues to deliver critical nutrition services while observing the mitigation measures, including social distancing and hand washing.

“We have received a lot of guidance from the regional office and from the global level which applied to our programmes and those guidelines have been shared with government to ensure that they can use and implement it,” he said.

He said UNICEF encouraged the government to establish a task force on nutrition to help get a voice at the presidential task force on COVID-19, to ensure that the mitigation measures and support that government is providing includes nutrition.

Nanama said the UNICEF is advocating to government to “make sure that there is access to health centres, that the flow of food and other nutrition services are not impeded, and the food supply system is not completely broken. To make sure they factor nutrition in actions and palliatives such as food distribution for COVID-19.

“In the context where schools are closed, it is important to still reach children with food and commodities because we know that in some areas, children rely on this school feeding programme to get their only daily food intake.

“UNICEF  is also in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) so that infected mothers who have children under the age of two are able to breastfeed their babies in line with the guidelines on breastfeeding and COVID-19.”

In enforcing the social distancing restriction, he said UNICEF has trained mothers and supplied them with middle and upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes so that they can screen their children themselves and bring them to the health facilities for treatment. He said it has also changed the admission modalities at the malnutrition treatment centres.

“Instead of designating one day in a week for treatment of malnourished children, it is now daily. This limits the crowds and enforces social distancing which is one of the COVID-19 mitigation measures.

These actions are aimed at limiting the impact of COVID-19 on child malnutrition in Nigeria and not exacerbate the problem,” he said.

Fruits, vegetables important – Brai

One time President Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Bartholomew Brai, of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti who spoke with The Nation on phone said Nutrition is a multi-sectorial issue. Once any sector is facing a major problem, it will impact negatively on the nutritional status of individuals.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic is a major health issue around the world. “Nations are adopting several but diverse measures that could lead to the containment of the disease.

These measures include partial or total lockdown of cities/regions and restrictions on local and international travels.

“The pandemic is mopping up the financial resources of individuals, households, communities and nations as well as disrupting the food systems and existing strategies to address the high burden of malnutrition in Nigeria.

“Mandatory lockdowns have led to income reductions/losses due to loss of jobs/livelihoods. Thus individuals find it difficult to provide for their families.

“The food supply chain is affected by the restrictions on movement. Supply constraints bring about demand shocks and its attendant price hikes leading to breakdown of food markets. All these will negatively affect access to food,” he said.

Brai said at the moment our weak health care system is overburdened, adding that resources for nutrition, including health care providers, are being mobilised to combat COVID-19.

“Health and nutrition services such as antenatal care, micronutrients supplementation, prevention and treatment of childhood diarrhea, infections and acute malnutrition are no longer receiving adequate attention,” he said.

Calling on various stakeholders to work together to effectively manage the pandemic, promote adequate nutrition and reduce post-COVID-19 burden and severity of malnutrition, he said government should provide resources for maternal and child health care by ensuring availability of care providers, adequate and regular provision of essential maternal and infant health care services. It should equally sustain life-saving efforts to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as malaria and diarrhea.

“Government should make use of available community structures to reach school-age children enrolled in the school home-grown feeding programme,” he said.

On what individuals and parents should do, he said individuals should eat balanced meals to ensure adequate nutrition, parents should choose from the various food groups to ensure adequate consumption of nutrients- both in quality and quantity.

“Fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season should be included in the diet to supply vitamins and minerals,” he noted.

Not leaving physical activities out, he said it should be encouraged to prevent overweight and obesity which are forms of over nutrition

 

I experienced severe symptoms- Covid-19 survivor

By Medinat Kanabe 

A Nigerian Covid-19 survivor, John Opabola who lives in Longford Ireland, has explained what he went through in the few weeks that he contracted the virus. John who spoke on Channels Sunrise Daily said it started with a cough. According to him, he contracted the virus at work when an infected colleague insisted on coming into his department to reach out and pick up a laptop. “When I started having dry cough I called a General Practitioner, GP, here who booked me for a covid-19 test. After a few days I began to vomit and experience diarrhea; at this point I couldn’t stand by myself and breathing became very difficult for me.” Asked if the symptoms were similar to something he had experienced in the past that could have confused him, he answered in the negative. But because in Ireland they are in the flu season John started to exercise and treat flu at first. “It started with a dry cough and you know when you experience dry cough here in Ireland around this time we assume that it is just a flu so I quickly began to exercise and practice the normal procedure to cure myself from flu but it degenerated so quickly to a fever. I was having a very strong fever as well as aches and pains which were very painful. The fever was between 38.9 and 39 degrees,” he said. Asked at what point he went to the hospital for medical care following considering policy in Ireland, he said “yes, the policy in Ireland says if you find it difficult to breath or your respiratory system is affected, you need to call the hospital straight away however in my own case, I started vomiting blood and immediately I vomited blood around 4am one Saturday morning, my wife called the ambulance system and they came, checked and even gave me a choice of either going for treatment or not.” John who is grateful that he took the decision to go in for treatment said he was very lucky because it could have degenerated into affecting his lungs or causing other severe sicknesses plus the fact that he did not have any underlining health issues as well. Explaining exactly how it started and began severe, he said “I noticed the cough started around March 25 which was a Friday and by the weekend I had to call off work; I told them that I can’t come in anymore. I had started having severe tiredness and general weakness of the body. By Wednesday of the following week, I had started vomiting and had diarrhea so by 7 to 8 days it was full blown in my system and on Saturday by 5am, I called the ambulance because I vomited blood and when I got to the hospital, the second vomit I had was a brown coffee colour. “The doctors told me then that that was extremely dangerous for the system so at the hospital I was put on IV and was given antibiotics. I remember them giving ma an IV paracetamol and at that point I passed out and came back later in the day.” John who had spent some days at home with his family before going in for treatment explained how he handled family, making sure they were protected. He said it was very difficult because his wife had to make sure he was alright and at the same time make sure that she wasn’t infected “so she used a mask while she cared for me but when I started vomiting and needed someone to stay with me because I had no energy to stand up she couldn’t really do much. I would kneel down by the sink to vomit while she poured water on my face but my wife was very strong and I had faith in God as well. I used to tell myself that there is light at the end of the tunnel.” On medications that he took before going to the hospital, he said, he was on paracetamol every 4 hours when it started, and was also on lemon. “I take ginger and once in a while when I could brave it I took a small bit of garlic which was a bit helpful, however a medical treatment was required when things got bad.” John whose family member also contracted the virus had a very different experience. According to john, different people tend to experience different symptoms. “For my family member that was infected, they almost didn’t even notice anything just a cough and that was all. “The family member also experienced stomach cramps as well but didn’t experience vomiting, diarrhea, no severe aches and pains that I went through which was very strange to me.” Asked how the family member was treated in the hospital since hospitals sometimes have to choose between a younger and older patient, he said this family member was infected and went to a hospital for treatment, “he was treated for three days and was discharged but after being discharged we noticed that instead of the sickness abating, it was deteriorating so we called the ambulance again when we noticed that things were not alright. It was very serious because it affected his breathing and so many other issues came up as well but we were lucky that at the hospital, he went through the respiratory system and was revived after 5 days.” Advising Nigerians to stay indoors and practice social distancing, he said “I told my wife that I never believed it could happen to me but because one staff insisted on coming into my department to reach out and pick up a laptop I am here today. Use your mask to protect yourself, make sure you wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, use the hand gel if you are not in a kitchen or fire environment and do every other thing that you have been told to do.”

Experts give reasons for high Covid-19 recovery rate

-         Decry non availability of data

April 4, 2020

By Medinat Kanabe and Dorcas Egede

Experts in Nigeria have praised the high  recovery rate of patient suffering from Covid-19 around the world as others decry lack of availability of data to give accurate figures.

They spoke yesterday during an interview with The Nation newspapers.

According to Sub-Dean, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Dr Nwoke Ernest the rate of recovery is exceptional.

He said he has been following the Covid 19 virus for a while now and the recovery rate in Nigeria is wonderful.  “That we have just one death after all these weeks to me is phenomenal and now we are talking about discharging six people out of 81 cases, that’s about 10 per cent rate of recovery and 0.01 per cent fatality which is great.”

He said when you talk about other countries like Italy, in just one day they had 919 deaths and Spain had 769 deaths in a day. “Their rate of recovery is very poor. They have a very high rate of susceptibility to the disease. The reason is that nutrition has a great role to play. African nutrition and the nutrition of other countries are not the same. This particular disease is a virus, it is not a living thing, it is a protein coated by lipids. When it gets into a system that is compatible to its own physiology, it does wonders and it has found compatibility in the Europeans and not Africans.

“We are hearing that South African has the highest rate of the disease in Africa but if you go to South Africa to find out you will see that those that are more affected are the whites so you discover that this virus is not a black man disease but it is a black man’s disease who has adopted the style and nutrition to the white man.”

Dr Nwoke who said Africans are just panicking for nothing demanded to be shown one Africa country where people have been dying the way they have in other countries. “They have some things in them that make them very compatible with the virus,” he said.

Using the UK as an example, he said the country recorded 1000 death yesterday and in Nigeria our figure is not climbing at all but he called Nigerians to keep taking precaution.

According to Researcher and Consultant Public Health Physician at Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Dr David Oladele,the situation is not a hopeless one, as people world over are recovering from the Covid-19. “A lot of people have recovered from it. It’s not all bleak like people tend to make us believe.  As of today, the current cases we have worldwide is about 645,54, number of deaths is about 29,941 and as many as 139,505 people have recovered from it, that’s about 82% recovery rate.” He said.

Oladele noted that the major challenge with the virus is in the way it spreads. He said that “compared to SARS and Ebola, Covid-19 death is not as high, only that it spreads faster,” adding that “We need to allay the fears of the public. If you look at the Nigerian data, as of today, we have about 89 cases and one death so far. And Lagos state said they want to discharge six people, they have already discharged three.”

Oladele noted that three factors may cause death from Covid-19. “Talking about those people that have died from the disease, there are some things that determine whether someone will die from the disease. 1. The age of the patient. Cambridge University reported that about 10% of those more than 80 years might die from the disease, and about 5% of patients between 70 and 80 might die from the infection. But we have to be careful how we interpret this, because it’s not really their age that will make them die.

“Apart from age, death from corona virus may result from pre-existing medical illness, people that have heart condition, respiratory sickness like, asthma, people that have anything sickness that reduces their immune system. And if you look at it critically, people above 80 are likely to have some of these health conditions, because some of these come with age.

“In the same vein, any young person who has some of these illnesses is also at risk of dying from the virus. Another thing that accounts for death rate is the access a patient has to advanced medical care. Someone who has respiratory distress for instance, if there is no ventilator, that person is likely to die. And that is the challenge that we have in this part of the world, because our hospitals haven’t been that developed.

Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at NIMR, Dr Oliver Ezechi believes that “The only challenge with the Covid-19 is that it spreads faster, but the death is not as common. For instance, out of 89 reported cases in Nigeria, only one has died, which is about 1%, even the death rate of Lassa fever is even higher than that.”

Dr Oladeji Adewunmi revealed that “Death rate is about 3%, which means we are talking about 97% recovery rate. Most people recover. Now, that might have changed a bit. We are yet to get the new statistics on that because of the rapid spread. With Italy and Spain having a higher number of deaths than was recorded in China, WHO is yet to give a definitive recovery rate.”

All these doctors agree that once people are able to avoid close contact with people, the virus will not spread much. “Do what government says, stay at home if you’re not a health worker or an essential service worker, go out sparingly, if you must and it has to be for something very important. Wash your hands with soap as constantly as possible, even if it’s 200 times in a day.” Said Ezechi.

Talking about the lock down, Oladele said, “If the state is having a lockdown, I’m not against it, because I believe we need to break the cycle of transmission and the best way to do it is through social distancing.”

On his part, a General Practitioner, Ibeauchi Chinasa, said Nigeria has a very high recovery rate as well as other countries around the world. “If they say the fatality rate is three per cent around the world then they mean that the recovery rate is about 97 per cent. I wouldn’t want to use Nigeria as a case study because we don’t have a very good surveillance system.

“The fact that NCDC is reporting about 81 cases and just one death doesn’t give the whole picture. There is this concept of travel history; they are probably the only people being tested, what about those that made contact with them and those that made contact with those that made contact with them.  A whole lot of people that are testing positive are those who just went for the test out of caution so you can’t really tell.

“The countries that have good surveillance system are those that can give you  a very good picture of the progression of the disease.”

Continuing he said, as a practitioner, the fact that in my hospital we see over 100 patients a day and we are not having a lot of patients with chest infection supports the fact that the disease is not doing a lot of damage around here.

Supporting Dr Nwoke, he said nothing has changed from what has been in place all these while, “I am beginning to believe that there is something in our environment  that is making it not do a lot of damage in Nigeria,” he added.  

Meanwhile, renowned Virologist, Prof Oyewale Tomori has also supported Dr Chinasa that there is a problem with data in Nigeria and so knowing the recovery rate may be impossible.

Tomori asked if we know the number of people who are in the hospital. “If they say the reported cases are 81, how many of them are in the hospital on admission? Is anyone following up on those not on admissions? We need that information to answer the question.”

According to him, it is difficult to get any rate when we don’t know the baseline. “They have to specifically tell us who and who are on admission, where they are? For example, the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari tested positive but is he in a hospital on admission or on isolation? We don’t know and don’t have proper data in this country and that’s the point I have always raised. Even the issue of the 81 positive, can anyone tell me how many people were tested before 81 was gotten?

“So we cannot talk about recovery rate when we don’t have the baseline. How long have they being on admission when they were discharged and where are they?  When they say somebody was in Ibadan for four days, was he in the house, or a hotel? We are not going to be looking at everybody in Ibadan, we have to have proper information, about the hotel, the workers on duty, the days he spent in the hotel. That’s how we do contact tracing.

“We have a problem with data and we cannot be talking about recovery rate because I don’t know how many are actually on admission in the hospital,” he concluded.