COVID-19: Prepare for the worst – Minister of health to Nigerians

– Nigerians need to deal with the harsh realities of the coronavirus pandemic

– This was the position of the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, on Tuesday, May 19

– Ehanire called on every medical practitioner and all citizens to hope for the best but also brace up for the worst as the nation battles with the disease.

The federal government has advised Nigerians to hope for the best but prepare for the worst in dealing with the realities of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. The advice was specifically given by the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja on Tuesday, May 19. Ehanire, therefore, urged all Nigerians especially those in the health sector to dedicate a great amount of time at this period to gather vital knowledge about the disease. The minister said: “As we learn more about coronavirus every day, we must be ready to adjust our strategy, based on knowledge and evidence.” He made it clear that one disturbing trend observed from statistics is that deaths from the virus are mostly linked to other underlying diseases. Osagie Ehanire, the minister of health, called on Nigerians to hope for the best but also prepare for the worst. Added to this, Ehanire lamented that these fatalities happen to “educated, well-to-do people, who chose home-based care where they develop sudden complications and have to be rushed to the hospital.” According to him, another problem is that complications with coronavirus patients develop without notice. Meanwhile, it had been reported that following the extension of the eased lockdown directive in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari had said that the country was not yet ripe for a relaxation of measures taken against the spread of COVID-19. Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and chairman of the PTF revealed this on Monday, May 18, during the task force daily briefing. it was gathered that Mustapha noted that the president’s decision to extend the lockdown by another two weeks was based on the realization that any further relaxation of the lockdown measures would mean grave danger for the nation. The SGF while speaking on the review of the current measures which was introduced two weeks ago, observed that despite the efforts, Nigeria was not ripe yet for a full opening of the economy.