How Nigeria can sustain winning streak against coronavirus – Issa

Baba Issa, a Professor of medicine University of Ilorin and the Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kwara State chapter, has said Nigerians must be circumspect in all their dealings in order to sustain the winning streak against the COVID-19 pandemic, even with the declining trend in the infection rate.

Issa, who declared this in an interview with BDSUNDAY in Ilorin, posited that Nigeria was winning the war against the virus because of the declining trend in the national statistics of reported cases of Covid-19.

According to him, going by the recorded number of cases announced by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in the last six months, the statistics show the rate of infection is declining, which means that Nigeria is managing the pandemic right.

“I think we are generally winning the war against the COVID-19, more and more people are becoming enlightened and aware of the reality of COVID-19,” he said.

The senior medical consultant pointed out that from very high daily figures initially, the infection rate in the country fell to “one thousand and something, five hundred, four hundred, and recently to about one hundred and something – that means the figure is declining despite increase in testing.

“For example in Kwara State, when the thing started we were not a testing state then, we had to take sample from here to Ibadan for test but now with the intervention of the state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and his Commissioner for health; Raji Abdulrazaq (Dr), we now have testing center in Ilorin. In fact, very soon it will be more than one because UITH will soon be testing. In spite of increase number of testing, we are achieving decline in the number of new cases, which means we are winning the war.”

Issa, however, warned that people must be aware of a possible resurgence of the pandemic or what is called a “second wave, third wave and so on”, saying “it happened during previous infections, including influenza infection in the nineties.”

The NMA chairman had, while appealing to some people who are yet to believe Covid-19 is real not to endanger their lives, counseled “we hope we should not be complacent but we should be circumspect in all our engagements.”

“Let us follow the Nigeria Disease Control guidelines. The appropriate wearing of face mask and face shield, hands and personal hygiene, maintaining adequate cough and sneezing etiquette must be strictly adhered to.”

Issa explained that the danger in the current trend of wearing face shields, is not a replacement for face mask.

“Anybody who would wear a face shield should also wear a face mask. The common teaching was ‘don’t touch your mouth, your nose or eyes’ because those are the possible portals of entry of this virus,” he added.

He says the face mask covers the mouth and the nose leaving the eyes uncovered but declared that the eyelids, the water and the lacrimative fluid have some protective effects. So, since the face shield would only cover the face, it is not a replacement for the mask which covers both the nose and mouth.

“If we observe all those things by wearing proper face masks, washing our hands with an alcohol-based sanitizer regularly, we are going to win the war completely and we may not have the subsequent waves,” Isa explained.

On the incessant cases of strike in the health sector, Isa identified inadequate funding of the sector and agitation among medical practitioners in recent times as major causes of the phenomenon.

“The issue of availability and accessibility of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), occasioned by COVID-19 is one of the problems.

“Anybody who is going to treat the patient must, first of all, protect himself as well because COVID-19 is not written on anybody’s face and if that is not done properly, the doctor risks his or her own life,” he added.

The medical practitioner noted that Doctors are not immune of coronavirus, giving instances of Doctors contracting and dying from COVID-19, although he clarified Kwara State not recorded any case of death among the Doctors.

“Doctors, nurses and other health workers are being infected, and thank God we had zero casualties in Kwara State,” he said.

Issa urged governments at all levels to do the needful to health workers so as to curtail strikes in the country.