From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has suggested to health workers as well as health seekers to do COVID-19 test alongside malaria test so they can be sure of whatever ailment being treated.
The suggestion, according to NCDC, was because Nigeria is officially in the fourth wave of COVID-19, and many people are coming down with COVID-19 unknowingly, thereby treating malaria.
Specifically, NCDC that the new variant of COVID-19, Omicron, is spreading faster than expected, and that could be responsible for the rising cases of reported ailments across health facilities.
NCDC Director General, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, who spoke at a virtual press conference on Friday, said his concerns was that more people are not willingly submitting themselves for testing, rather, they conclude that they are being attacked by malaria parasite.
Dr. Adetifa registered his displeasure that many people still believe that COVID-19 is a hoax and doesn’t exist, thereby, highlighting the efficacy of the virus which is still as deadly as it was, and many people had died of the disease since the outbreak of the disease over two years ago.
He said: “Omicron variant is ravaging the world, disrupting socioeconomic activities and people’s lifestyle. Nigeria is not an exception, hence, the recent decision of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 to suggest a restriction on public gathering during the yuletide season.
“As at Thursday, over 40 cases of Omicron variant have been detected in Nigeria, and the cases are not only from international passengers.That’s an indication that the variant is spreading, and people should be more cautious about it.
“Luckily, there’s no death case traced to the Omicron but that doesn’t mean we are free. We don’t want to get to the point that half of our population would be down with COVID-19 as a result of festivities and our health care facilities overfull.
“So, it’s necessary that we take precautionary measures to contain the community transmission of the disease to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Vaccination is very critical in this regard.”