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Kolawole Olatunji Matthew is a Professor of Medical Virology, University of Ilorin. In this interview with SIKIRAT SHEHU, he analyses issues surrounding Coronavirus pandemic, recommends urgent need to establish additional laboratories for testing for COVID-19 across the country as well as engaging professionals who are knowledgeable in viral infectious diseases.
Mathew stresses the need for Nigerians to adopt offensive and defensive approaches to contain the spread of the global scourge, warning individuals to desist from self-medication and drug abuse. Excerpts:
Let’s have an overview of COVID-19
Coronavirus is a pathogen that targets the respiratory tract of humans. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
COVID-19 is the seventh member of the coronavirus family and is classified as a member of the subfamily orthocoronavirinae forming a clade among the subgenus sarbecovirus.
COVID-19 symptoms often occur after an initial five days incubation period. It often takes between 6 to 14 days for onset of symptoms to death. However, this is largely dependent on various factors such as age of patient and presence or absence of compromised immunity.
Analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic shows that patient above 70 years of age show more severe symptoms to COVID-19. Common symptoms after the onset of disease includes; cough, fever and general fatigue.
This could be followed by dyspnea, diarrhea and hemoptysis. As at 25th March 2020, a total of 414,179 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 20, 000 deaths have occurred globally, with 51 confirmed cases and 1 death recorded in Nigeria.
What are the preventive measures to be taken to ensure adequate precaution from viruses especially Covid-19?
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), the best practice to avoiding contracting and spreading COVID-19 are: Wash your hands frequently, regularly and thoroughly, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Maintain social distancing, maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Also, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth, touching many surfaces can pick up viruses. Once contaminated; hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
Practice respiratory hygiene, make sure you, and the people around you follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze, then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early. Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance.
Follow the directions of your local health authority; stay informed and follow advice given by your healthcare provider; stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19; follow advice given by your healthcare provider, the national and local public health authority or your employer on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
How will you react to the Federal and States governments’ response, considering the rate in which Nigerians are affected with the virus, having reached 131 confirmed cases?
Mixed feelings. While the government have done a few things right in terms of closure of borders, enforcement of social distancing, tracing of contacts etc, some of these actions came rather late.
However, there is a need for more robust approach to solving this pandemic.
My recommendations to the government are as follows; Government needs to take the lead in the containment of this pandemic especially now that cases of local transmission have started to occur.
Both offensive and defensive approach should be used to curb this situation. Temperature screening and laboratory services should be provided in all states.
Currently, only five laboratories have the capacity to test effectively for COVID-19 which might prolong the time for testing and receiving results.
There is urgent need to establish more laboratories capable of testing for COVID-19 in all states of the federation.
Isolation centers should also be provided and properly equipped in all states due to the increase in the numbers of cases.
All borders (internal and external) must be closed in order to achieve substantial results via contact tracing. Also, while local transmission is being curtailed, there is a need to close all inter-state borders (land, sea and air).
Training of designated healthcare workers to handle cases in the facilities in all states must be done urgently.
There is an urgent need to establish Emergency Operation Centers (EOC) in all states with good communication link to the national EOC and professionals who are knowledgeable about viral infectious diseases should be engaged in these centers.
This is not the time to play sentiment using people who have no knowledge and experience with regards to COVID-19 containment. The Presidential Taskforce should also galvanize expertise across the country for advice and review of situations.
The ban on public gatherings, which is already in effect, is highly commendable and must be enforced nationwide.
To ensure that the ban on public gatherings achieve the desired outcome, it is necessary to stop inter-state and intra-state movement. This will be the only way to exclude non-essential travels which is the intended purpose of sitting at home.
Your message to Nigerians generally
There is a need for all to be calm and follow all rules as regards respiratory and personal hygiene.
Others include; Individual should maintain clean surroundings and use hand sanitizers while coming out of public places.
In a bid to prevent the disease, individuals should desist from unwholesome practices such as self-medication and drug abuse.
There is a need to be at alert and to inform the health facilities of any suspected case.
Community leaders of all ranks as well as the media can, and should, play a key role in public awareness about personal and respiratory hygiene.
It is the responsibility of all and sundry to help limit the spread of the virus by avoiding gatherings of large numbers of people above 10.
Recommend those who are professional experts to government. Our collective success depends on an apolitical approach, as we need to use the right people to handle critical responsibilities.
Donors are needed to provide financial support for the purchase of survival materials, laboratory reagents and consumables.
On purpose of lockdown and the way forward
Asking people to stay at home and shutting down population movement is to buy time and reduce the pressure on health systems.
However, these measures will not extinguish the epidemics. The point of these actions is to enable the more precise and targeted measures that are needed to stop transmission and save lives. Therefore, states that have implemented this approach “lockdown” is to allow and implement measures to attack the virus.
There are six key actions that are recommended by WHO: expand, train, and deploy your health care and public health workforce. Implement a system to find every suspected case at the community level ramp up production capacity and availability of testing.
Others are: identify, adapt, and equip facilities you will use to treat patients and develop a clear plan and process to quarantine contacts and refocus the whole of government on suppressing and controlling COVID-19.
