As religious as Nigerians are , we are also very wonderful. Even though the outbreak of coronavirus is not the first time Nigeria will experience such a dreadful outbreak. Ebola came, Lasa did, but it is the first time a disease of that high caliber will emerge from the Asian world. Now that the disease is here, trust Nigerians, we have things in stock! While we pray it does not last long before it is curtailed as people joke with China products, we also pray we use our senses as short as it lives!
Firstly, do not be swayed. Prophets of doom are here. Religious people who are not religious are also many. Also, fake news carriers are inevitable. This is the time fake men of God will sell anointing oil that cannot prevent catarrh let alone a stubborn disease caused by virus. Attending vigils at this time increases the risk, don’t be deceived. If they are powerful indeed, they should go to Lagos to pray for the Italian victim. We recently saw a video of a “prophet” who claims he would go to China prophetically to finish coronavirus. While the world awaits this great miracle from “Prophet” Dr David Kingsleo Elijah of The Glorious Mount of Possibility Church, we hope he does it soon.
The gullibility of some Nigerians knows no bound. Believing anything “the man of God” says is compulsory, forgetting the Bible says ;
Jeremiah 29:9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.
It is not only fake prophecies we should beware, also beware of fake news and interpretations. Few days after the tsunami of corona hit Wuhan China, concocted news and interpretations began to fly around. Some concluded the virus is as a result of incessant persecution of Muslims in China. This is a dangerous conclusion!
The virus has spread over many countries now, is the world suffering from the inequities of China? Allah is Just, He has a way of making everyone pay for their actions, but nobody will bear the burden of another;
An-Najm 53:38
أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ
That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.
Trust Nigerians. It is also time for business. Barely 48 hours after the sad news broke out that an Italian had already brought the unfortunate disease to our mother land; Lagos to be precise, the busiest city in west Africa, Nigerians had swung into action. Face masks that goes for ordinary #750 per pack skyrocketed to #15000. What a world!
I quickly did a price check on Jumia too, I found disposable face mask that cost #30,000.
People now buy face masks in bulks, business men are now taking advantage of the situation. But to be frank, is this panic buying at all necessary?
Firstly, most people buying masks out of fear are not getting the type that stops the virus from reaching their mouth or nose anyway. The coronavirus is transmitted through droplets, not through the air. That means you cannot randomly breathe it in, but it also means the standard surgical mask you see people wearing will not help. Those masks are designed to keep droplets in—not to keep them out—and are intended to keep the wearer from getting others sick.
US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, has pleaded on Twitter, “Seriously people-STOP BUYING MASKS!” Aside from their ineffectiveness in protecting the general public, he said, “if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!”
The people who really need the masks are those who have some symptoms like cough and sneezing and are positive to the coronavirus. It prevents them from spreading it to others easily. Health workers also need it because they work closely with these patients. But the best they use is the Respirator. It is a personal protection equipment (PPE) that healthcare workers wear when treating someone with a serious contagious disease as corona virus. They protect the wearer from getting sick and protect the patient from the wearer’s germs.
Aside face masks people are panic buying, hand sanitizer is more important. Regular hand washing is also recommended.
As usual, an unconfirmed preventive measure has been circulating round the cyber word. It is assumed that corona virus cannot survive beyond 26-27°C. So people are now being advised to drink hot water, eat ginger and pepper. This was how we were mislead during the menace of Ebola. The dreadful virus didn’t kill some, it was the fear and preventive measure people gave that killed some. Salts were taken in large quantity. And it took many souls.
It is too early to decide if temperature of that nature can actually kill the virus. If it does, the Italian victim would have been well by now. The isolation he was kept was hot that he had to try to run out of the room. By the way, the normal body temperature is averagely 37°C, so how come coronavirus can die in less degrees?
If truly hot water and pepper does the wonders, China and the rest of the countries would have taken the lead.
May Allah save us from this dreadful outbreak.
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