91 new cases as COVID-19 Nigeria hits 1273.
With the current figures far exceeding a thousand as we have earlier envisaged, it is without a doubt that the intervention in place is definitely insufficient.
With the world statistics reading almost 3 million infected victims and fatalities almost as high as 300,000, with mortalities in the United States about a quarter of the world’s mortality figures, it only becomes expedient we re-evaluate our statistics and interrogate our responses, keeping in view morbidity as opposed to mortality.
Without doubt, we know morbidity in Nigeria presents challenging outcomes, with most persons coming down with severe illness being individuals with co-morbidities and the elderly. Interpreted, this means individuals with questionable immune status. It is also a known fact that the SARS-Cov-2, the causative virus of the COVID-19 disease, is extremely sensitive to sunlight, hot temperatures and humidity.
With this knowledge and existing statistics, some deductions can be made. Total confirmed cases in Nigeria is 1273 with 40 fatalities/mortalities. This gives a percentage mortality rate of 3.142% and 239 discharges.
The world statistics is almost approaching 3 million cases and almost 300,000 deaths, with a quarter of these figures in the United States at over 54,000 deaths.
Even though we are sure statistical figures give ‘a tip of the iceberg phenomenon’, it is also imperative we know figures in the tropics show a much milder disease-trend, mostly because of the climate and other unclear factors.
It is applaudable that the federal government is considering decentralization of PTF intervention but it is also most important that there is no total collapse of civil order.
What is most recommended as stated by the Lagos State government is a splendid idea, which is a compulsory use of face masks, regular hand washing and use of alcohol-based sanitizers, physical distancing and cleansing of all surfaces with alternate day-market visits.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is sensitive to heat, sunlight and humidity, hence the low transmission; the increase in figures being pre-existing cases with continual community infection.
Apparently from the Case incidence as computed, ‘herd immunity’ might be the way out.
The incidence definitely would not reduce anytime soon, yet citizens are being constrained for reasons they do not totally understand.
The task force, on the other hand, are opportunistically misbehaving and we are almost in the view of total civil collapse.
The recommendation of a functional system with a health system with researching epidemiologists should be a consideration of personal hygiene, use of face masks, physical distancing and, most importantly, education of the most vulnerable (which are the remotely uneducated).
Also importantly is monitoring and education of the task force for them to see and treat most individuals as victims and not criminals.