The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and chairman of the Presidential Task Force on the Control of COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, said the rate of coronavirus infections may hit a million mark if Nigerians continue to flout the safety protocols and guidelines.
The SGF also said ignorance and skepticism are responsible for the widespread non-compliance to the protocols and guidelines for the control of the virus in the country.
Addressing journalists at the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force in Abuja, the SGF said Brazil which shares several cultural, demographic and climatic conditions with Nigeria has already exceeded the one million mark.”You would have noticed that the number of confirmed cases and fatalities released in the last few days have been on the high side. While we attribute this to increased testing, it also goes to confirm the extent of the spread within our communities, especially the twenty-one (21) high burden LGAs identified as accounting for over 60% of infections nationwide.
“Closely related to the high number of confirmed cases and fatalities at home are lessons drawn from other jurisdictions. From Europe to China to the United States of America, the rising numbers and reported resurgence in some cases should also be of concern to us. Of particular concern, however, is the case of Brazil which has exceeded the one million mark of confirmed cases.”We had informed you that Brazil shares several cultural, demographic and climatic affinities with us. If any lesson is to be learnt, Brazil should be a subject of interest that will make us change our behavior,” he said.
The SGF also told journalists that no fewer than 4000 persons have volunteered for vaccine trial in the United Kingdom. He said while the Presidential Task Force was on the verge of compiling a comprehensive report on COVID-19 to be submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for further directives, Nigerians must not be averse to wearing of facemask in public, keeping social distancing, observing good respiratory hygiene, and washing of hands regularly and avoiding large gatherings.
He said tracing and testing of cases had been made more difficult because of the fear of stigmatisation which is preventing people from coming out to seek help.”The PTF has continued to assess the developments nationwide and found that non-compliance has been largely fueled by skepticism and ignorance about the disease. “We also noted that stigmatization has further impacted on the willingness of people to come out to seek help and even tell their stories. The nature of this pandemic demands that we must detect and treat it in order to address it.
“Let me emphasise, therefore, that COVID-19 is not a condition to be ashamed of as it has no respect for status, nationality, race, creed, tribe, etc. Every person infected must be treated to prevent spread and avoidable fatalities.
He said reports show that hospitals were still rejecting patients, resulting in the death of patients suffering from other ailments. He pleaded with hospitals to stop rejecting people who approach them for treatment of other ailments other than COVID-19.“We continue to plead with these hospitals not to reject patients but to follow the protocols for managing COVID-19 while receiving them and most importantly, to seek necessary accreditation from the Ministry of Health and NCDC to manage COVID-19 cases,” he said.