By Cosmas Omegoh
Obehi Akoria, a professor at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, has disclosed over two-thirds of deaths associated with COVID-19 in Edo State occurred in older persons.
He further said this is likely to be the case across Nigeria, in a stark indication that deaths from the pandemic have disproportionally affected larger numbers of older persons in the society.
Akoria disclosed during the inaugural O. B. Lulu-Briggs memorial lecture at the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt entitled: ‘Person-centred medicine, the way forward for geriatrics healthcare in Nigeria’.
“The death statistics underline the vulnerability of older persons in epidemic and pandemic situations and further highlight the need for person-centred approaches to disease prevention, diagnosis and management in the elderly,” she said.
The memorial lecture has been established by the O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation to commemorate and honour his legacy as one of Nigeria’s most distinguished statesmen on the occasion of his 3rd posthumous birthday.
Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs, chairman of the foundation, said the lecture series will invite distinguished leaders to speak about the opportunities to elevate health, education, peacekeeping and economic empowerment and inspire urgent action on all fronts by key stakeholders across the country.
“These are the issues on which the high chief focused his philanthropic investments because he believed in their important and central roles in building vibrant inclusive nations,” she said.