… As PTF Uncovers Impact Of Culture, Domestic Violence, Religious Beliefs As Emerging Consequences of Virus
Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha on Thursday, fell short of pleading with scientists from all walks of life to come up with cure for the Coronavirus pandemic.
The SGF in a moody voice, while briefing Nigerians on the update and management of the virus, said with the continuous rise in the rate of infections, the only option left was for scientists to come up with a cure.
Recall that Wednesday 17th June, 2020 made it exactly three months since the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 was inaugurated.
The Committee upon inauguration was assigned the task of putting in place sustainable measures for the control of the spread of the virus and to strengthen the health care systems to withstand the deadly virus, three months after the cases of infections has increased to over 17,000 presently.
“As we push the frontiers of research at domestic and international levels, the debate on which drugs will be clinically suitable also continues.
“With our reliance on data and science, we eagerly look towards crossing the threshold of experiments into a world of cure. We continue to encourage our researchers and scientists to rise up to the occasion by submitting to the validation processes. The PTF’s position is that every treatment regime must be supported by incontrovertible scientific evidence, “he stated.
The PTF chairman also complained of resistance of Nigerians to safety guidelines issued, saying the situation on ground has been compounded by shortage of essential materials to control the spread.
He listed current challenges to include inadequate infrastructure, manpower shortage, global shortage of essential items (test kits, PPE).
His words, “Like the rest of the world, our National Response continues to face challenges, especially as there is no known cure for the virus, presently. These include inadequate infrastructure, manpower shortage, global shortage of essential items (test kits, PPE), strain on the economy which has compelled the need to balance between lives and livelihoods.
“By far the greatest challenges are human resistance to change, stigmatization, mental health, skepticism, culture, religious belief, rising incidents of domestic violence and a host of others. The COVID-19 has changed our ways of life and we may never go back to what we used to know”.
According to the PTF Boss, the journey ahead was even more important than the last three months.
He said no one should be left in doubt that the virus has assumed community dimension which poses more threats to the citizens.
“As you are aware, the main focus is on community engagement and risk communication while not neglecting the need to obey all the guidelines and non-pharmaceutical measures. We therefore crave your buy-in so that we can collectively become champions in the efforts to wipe out the virus.
“Always remember, that the virus is real, potent and dangerous. Our relaxed lock down should never be interpreted to mean otherwise. This point is further underscored by reported resurgence of a second wave in countries like China and the USA and this should put all of us on alert, knowing that this virus can only be eliminated if we agree to play our part.
“This call becomes more pertinent as we go fully into the rainy season that ordinarily brings with it cold, catarrh and other COVID-19 mimicking illnesses. Our call to take personal responsibility cannot be more strident than now.
“As we go forward,let us look forward to another three months of overwhelming successes, let us create awareness and sensitization, stop stigmatization of survivors and let’s encourage fellow citizens that have contracted the virus to enable them overcome the illness. Our choice of words matter. Our attitude and reactions to them help to boost the stability of their mental health. All combined will help our efforts to test, detect, trace, isolate and treat, “he noted .
