Editorial: Nigerian Presidency ‘Infections’ And COVID-19 OMICRON Variant

The gale of COVID-19 infections in Nigeria’s seat of power this week made hot news because of the high-profile nature of the suspected victims most of whom are in the Presidency. The cheery news is that the victims are reportedly in sound health, some already waiting for a test to confirm them free of the virus. What has not been as newsworthy is that hundreds of less privileged Nigerians are getting infected every day and fatal cases are increasing.

Granted that Africans appear to be more resilient against some viral infections such as COVID-19, yet the effects of the pandemic on the continent is never difficult to see and feel. We must note that while there is a case fatality rate (CFR) of 2.0% globally, Nigeria has a CFR of 1.4% since February 2020 when the first case was diagnosed in the country. On December 25, 2021 alone, 1305 new cases were confirmed and 21 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. This is alarming enough, especially as the Omicron variant, now detected in more than 70 countries including Nigeria, has become the dominant variant. The World Health Organisation (WHO) believes that many countries could have it, even if not yet detected.
As of December 25 also, just over 3.5 million Nigerians had been tested, with 236014 confirmed cases of Covid-19; 212357 cases have been discharged and 3014 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. These numbers suggest that social measures remain the most potent tool to combat COVID-19 in Nigeria in the face of a vaccination lull and test lethargy.
As government grapples with vaccine mandates, including convincing its citizens to get jabbed, there is need to enforce the rules in schools, offices, markets, public places and even hospitals. While reporting on his infection recently, Garba Shehu, media aide to Nigeria’s President Buhari, surmised that he was in great spirits because he has had some three jabs of the vaccine. We opine that government should provide the necessary leadership to avoid a looming vaccine apartheid. As recently noted by the UNDP “As the spread of the coronavirus intensifies, Nigeria is already dealing with enormous social and economic impacts exacerbating existing inequalities and creating new inequalities, which are hitting the most vulnerable people the hardest.” This week, the Nigeria’s health ministry destroyed 1milion doses of expired covid-19 vaccines when fewer than 3%% of the population have received the full course of the vaccine compared to South Africa’s 24%.
Prime Business Africa believes that Omicron’s reported mildness as a variant may not be good news after all in the long run. This is because it might force many into even more lackluster attitude. With such a piece of news, the great apprehension that initially fired people into compliance with much of covid-19 protocol may start to dissolve into apathy and constant exposure to health risks. Most offices, marketplaces and pubs have apparently turned a blind eye to the threat that coronavirus has become worldwide.
Moreover, the WHO has consistently warned that covid-19 is more than a health crisis. The dangers it poses to human relationships, socio-economic wellbeing and the general human welfare may be hard to estimate in the short term. Nigeria is a classic textbook case of the effects of a pandemic on a national economy. The International Labour Organization projects that 195 million jobs may possibly be lost, while the World Bank foresees a US$110 billion reduction in cash movements in 2021, which may translate to 800 million people failing to meet their basic needs.
Government must therefore quickly key into the UNDP 2030 strategy of looking beyond covid-19 recovery to the four main areas of governance, social protection, green economy, and digital awakening. The strategy is geared towards managing uncertainty and streamlining people’s everyday lives towards adopting health promoting measures. The UNDP advises that enhancing trust and cooperation, within and among communities and, between people and the Government is critical for a sustained fight against the pandemic. In Nigeria, this must begin with practical effort to help the vulnerable through sundry palliatives. The second is to monitor adherence to health protocols in public places. People must know and become part of the effort to save lives because the golden rule of viral infections remains: someone’s vulnerability is everyone’s danger.