By Emeka Oparah
A friend reached out to me last week, after I shared my family’s “COVID-19 exposure” story in our WhatsApp Group, asking for help with my NCDC contacts. I obliged him.
His sister suspected she was exposed to COVID-19 and here’s how: she’s a staff of one of the major banks. One of her colleagues, who wasn’t supposed to be at work, breezed in and generously moved around greeting and hailing everyone.
Shortly after he left, someone called to inform them the guy’s wife tested Covid-19 positive 3 days earlier and dude bluntly refused to get tested! Just negodu!
The long and short of this is that my friend’s sister’s result came back yesterday positive! Just imagine how stupid and even wicked some people can be! What the hell was he doing visiting the office? Why didn’t he declare or report his wife’s status to his HR Manager? And why’s he refusing to test and turning himself to a human infection bomb? Why?
So, look at a poor young woman, who’s probably been taking the necessary precautions, but she dropped her guard (her face mask) in the office, trusted a colleague and now she’s infected. She’s also worried about her elderly parents one of who’s got some undelying health conditions. Look at that!
It’s ok to have a death wish but spare a thought for others, especially family and friends. This highly infectious fellow must have been to many other places. Tracing his contacts will be a Herculean Task, that’s if he agrees to volunteer them.
So, you see why you have to wear a mask once you’re leaving home and meeting other people. You also have to maintain physical distance from everyone you meet. You also have to adhere to every hygiene guideline as advised by health authorities. Everyone except your immediate family is a potential vector until otherwise proven by a text! Even a test today doesn’t protect you from being infected tomorrow.
Now, have you wondered why Etiosa Local Government of Lagos State with probably some of the most educated, most sophisticated and most successful population is the worst hit in the country? Yes, Etiosa is most definitely the epicenter of Covid-19 in Nigeria. What a dubious honor!
At the end of the day, it’s down to you and me taking responsibility for our own lives. How would you feel to know you brought home the virus that ended the life of your loved one(s)? Oh yes, the mortality rate in Nigeria may be low for now but you know it’s down to the fact that we have a low life expectancy, which implies that we have more young people than aged ones. Must we waste the few elderly parents and grandparents we have?
I’ll soon be sharing my thoughts on what I call “The Wealth, Health, Death Triangle of Covid-19”. Until then, look after yourself and please stay safe.
