By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Canada-based Nigerian medical doctor, Dr. Oladayo Oladipo, has expressed concern over the increased numbers of fatalities and confirmed cases of novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) patients in the country.
Speaking today on ‘Kakaaki’, a current affairs programme on African Independent Television (AIT) monitored in Abuja, he said that the double digits number of confirmed cases and death toll in Nigeria is very worrisome and should be of great concern to every Nigerian at home and abroad.
Prompt News reports that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had last night confirmed 196 new cases of COVID-19 patients in the country, bringing the total number of infections in Nigeria to 1,728.
Also, the NCDC said that the virus claimed the lives of 11 patients as at Wednesday night thus bringing the total number of deaths in Nigeria to 51.
But Dr. Oladipo, a Frontline Emergency Medicine Practitioner based in Canada who was evaluating Nigeria’s containment strategy on ‘Kakaaki’ via Skype stated categorically that Nigeria authorities are not doing enough to stem the tide of Covid-19 pandemic.
According to him, “Nigeria unlike some overseas countries has enough time to prepare for the ‘war’ against Covid-19 pandemic but unfortunately
Nigeria has a health system that is broken”.
” Nigeria is not doing enough testing, she has to get enough testing kits in order to get a hold of the pandemic. Nigeria has to do a lot of Tracking, Testing and Treating. This is the way to go”, Dr. Oladipo posited.
On the guidelines released by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 Pandemic for reopening of businesses nationwide, he said it may not work perfectly for the country and its citizens, pointing out that the time table for reopening is not adaptive in many ways.
He advised the authorities to adopt persuasion instead of coercion to enforce the guideline even as he gave the example of New York City in the United States of America (USA) where policemen and women who were arresting those who flouted restriction orders saw themselves infected of Covid-19 virus.
