Edozie Udeojo
The Association of Resident Doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital has said the impact of the second wave of the coronavirus might be deadlier than the first wave.
The LUTH ARD president, Dr Judith Jolayemi, at a briefing on Monday, urged all Nigerians, organisations, institutions, and the government to return to the COVID-19 preventive guidelines in order to curb the spread of the virus.
“Individuals must know that they owe themselves the responsibility to protect their health and are therefore encouraged to adhere strictly to the COVID-19 safety protocols at all times.
“Schools after vacating this month maybe considered to remain closed until the epidemic curve begins to reverse. Government at all levels should continue to enforce laws regarding adherence to safety protocols, scale-up covid-19 testing, improve infrastructure and services across boarding including the airports and ensure the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest time possible,” Jolayemi said.
A Senior Registrar at the LUTH COVID-19 isolation centre, Dr Folarin Opawoye, linked the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the country to the attitude of Nigerians towards the non-pharmaceutical guidelines.
Opawoye warned that a large number of recently recorded cases of COVID-19 suggest a huge community transmission.
He said, “Lockdown can be challenging especially in this environment because of socio-economic indices of the people. A lot of people have to go out every day before they can eat.
“But there are so many other things we can do without going through the lockdown, if everybody is wearing their nose mask, social and physical distance, avoid unnecessary gathering and travelling as recommended by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.”