Believe me, I tried to write something away from Covid-19, and indeed there were several plots to explore, especially in my personal life, but each time I started on those topics, including about blogging for seven years (a milestone I achieved last week), I found myself not going so far, but quickly getting drawn to write about Covid-19, the core of my posts in recent times, which compelled me to attempt to write something different for a change. From experience, I've learnt never to go where my muse or inspiration does not lead, hence after trying without success to change the direction of my thoughts, I've again succumbed to writing something that has to do with Covid-19.


The thing is, nowadays everywhere you look is Covid-19, even when you shut the traditional media, the social media isn't left out, including of those wanting not to talk about it, or discouraging people from talking about it. In the end, it is still the trending topic everywhere, especially now that more people are becoming personally affected, either as infected or close to those who are. Which brings me to a very interesting observation, the fact that the virus have been found not to be as virulent in Africa, as it has been in other parts of the world, considering the timeline from when the first case was reported in the various countries.


It was natural to assume that the situation in South America, especially in countries like Ecuador and Brazil (where the dead are literally left on the streets by members of their families, for the authorities to come and pick up), will be replicated in Nigeria, and other parts of Africa, seeing as the demographics and human development indices in both places are similar. Alas, the opposite was true for traducers, and purveyors of Covid-19 statistics and predictors. It is true the unexplained deaths in Kano, and other parts of the North did create a scare initially, but as hurriedly as it started, it suddenly seemed to be under control, even though we may never know what it truly was that caused the deaths, while it is rational to assume it must be Coronavirus related, personifying the saying that the witch cried at night, and the child died in the morning.


When all of this is over, we may return to what did it for Africans, because you definitely cannot pin it to the efforts of the doctors solely (who considering the circumstances under which they work, could be said to be performing nothing short of miracles), or that of the governments in Africa that were caught unawares (and in the case of Nigeria having the special allure of politics mingled with everything that is wrong with the way governance should be applied), or simply weather conditions including the heat and humidity, or Vit D in our level of exposure to the sun. It's definitely not because of melanin, because the deaths of blacks in the US has disproved that, leaving the options very few and far between, for reasons to adduce to the low mortality from Covid-19 in Africa. Madagascar was almost getting away with it, to making a killing with the "wonder drug", before their bubble burst with the first Covid-19 related death, and many Africans touting the drug as the elixir, began to take a second look at things.


What seems to be happening now though, is the drive by the authorities to look for asymptomatic Covid-19 positive people, to fill isolation centres, only to have them released later, to increase the number of so called recovered and discharged (to make it seem as if they are waging a successful war against the disease), the evidence of which is seen in videos of so called Covid-19 patients in isolation wards, dancing, or engaging in other types of fun,


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqjPZbp9oGY

just to while away the time. In other places, like in Gombe State, patients even had the audacity to go on the roads to protest


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v4U_zHTxmE

abandonment by health officials, and the power and vigour of their protests will tell you that these ones hadn't seen the bad side (or any side) of the disease. Sadly, this is coming at a time, many who are experiencing respiratory distress and other debilitating symptoms of Covid-19, are running from pillar to post, looking for succour and help, even coming to social media to seek help from anyone that could link them to officials of the Nigerian Centre For Disease Control, NCDC so they can be evacuated to isolation centres for appropriate treatment and care. These ones, captured very late, often than not, I believe form the core of the numbers of the dead that we are notified of, when the "results" are released by the NCDC, some minutes before midnight daily, because by omission or commission, help didn't get to them on time. So, when the Lagos State government stated that henceforth, only those with severe conditions or symptoms will be given priority over just about anybody that tests positive, I welcomed the news with joy, but as it were things don't look to be changing as rapidly as most will prefer, as officials continue to show unwarranted capacity in locating, and conveying asymptomatics, convalescent and already recovered formerly positive patients to isolation centres, as if there's some extra financial or other type of incentives, that come with centres recording a high survivals to deaths ratio.


There's also the political aspect of things, where some governors like in Kogi and Cross River States, have signified their opposition to anything Covid-19 related, rejecting overtures by the federal health authorities to collaborate with their states' health apparatuses to streamline their activities with the federal. It is due to this disagreement that there presently is no number of positive cases recorded for either of the states, while the number of cases in neighbouring states continue to rise, in some cases exponentially. Also, since the federal government has been dishing out some funds to some states, to help them manage the Covid-19 situations in their respective states, many have been led to believe that this may be responsible for the rising numbers in states, and fueling the belief amongst skeptical Nigerians, that governors are just using this to cash out, as other means for generating revenue (proceeds from sale of crude oil especially) have greatly dwindled over time, as a result of the scourge.


Another thing that seems to have taken the back burner in recent days, has been the vaccine issue. Yes, it is still there, but fewer people are talking about it now, than earlier on, when almost everything bad in human imaginations was linked to vaccination, including the "mark of the beast", by some pastors, whose reputation have now become so battered, that I fear that they might have no one in their congregation, when the ban on Church activities is lifted, but you never know, there'll always be gullible Nigerians, and they are never the minority. Even the 5G matter has died a natural death. On the debate about whether we do need a vaccine for Covid-19. If you consider that this is looking like something we may have to live with for a while, it does make sense that a vaccine be sought, and widely administered, so we can get on with our lives. I understand the other part of the debate, that also makes the point that it is vaccine use over the years, that's left us this vulnerable in the first place, leading to people dying from a disease, and virus that can be killed by simply washing hands with soap and water, but is this the time to start building our immunity? In the midst of a pandemic?


I believe this too shall pass. Those of us who will survive it, will be needed to make the changes, lifestyle changes that will leave us less dependent on vaccines, so that next time, which I doubt will be long in coming, we can boldly face a contagion like Covid-19 headlong without fear, rather than locking up ourselves indoors, like we've done in recent weeks and months, without faring better than communities that simply went for herd immunity, and still came out tops on all indices. Unfortunately, seeing how far we've gone to turn the earth into a shadow of its original self, all in a bid to satiate our appetites, it is difficult to begin to imagine what steps to be taken to make the earth and living sustainable enough to be and live without vaccines, medications and the likes, talk more implementing them.


Finally, I mustn't fail to mention the Al-Majirai, whose way of life in my view, appear to be the most affected by the Coronavirus Disease in Nigeria. While I was serving in Jigawa State, Northwestern Nigeria, I met with a high ranking member of the state government then at a bar, and over drinks, he lectured me on how there was nothing wrong with the system, that those kids I see begging allover northern Nigeria with empty bowls, are akin to the disciples of Jesus. I didn't know how to continue the discussion afterwards, and decided to nod my head in agreement, especially as he was paying for the drinks, and we'd quaffed several bottles of alcohol already, that if he got angry and I had to pay for my bottles, I may have to end up washing plates for "Madam MOPOL" of the bar inside the Mobile Police barracks in Hadejia, a stone's throw from Gidan Likita.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtyEIpJN600

The same Almajirai that Northern politicians love to praise, use as political tools including underage voting, and as brigands during ethnoreligious crises, have now become undesirable because of their potential to serve as conduit for the spread of Covid-19, especially to the elite who cannot control their movement. Hence in recent days, its been a war of which state governor can transfer the most Almajiri to their states of origin, from one part of the North to the other. Even some have been inadvertently shifted to the south, where they definitely have no origin, and it is sad that this is happening just a few years after a President Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner, considered the Almajirai problem, and decided to build several schools in the North, some of which had boarding facilities, to house these "wanderers", but due to political reasons, his agenda was rubbished, and the same Almajiri used to vote him out of power. Today they are been shifted from one state to another, tested and a few confirmed positive for Covid-19, and many times simply dumped with their parents, or the localities they claim to have hailed from, without any effort put in place to ensure that they do not return to the streets.


I think I've qwertied enough for the day, even though there's still so much I would have loved to share with you regarding Covid-19, but wouldn't because the time isn't ripe for it, till probably when we can comfortably sit in a pub, over brown and green bottles, with kebabs, steak and the likes, when the scourge is over, and we can do an overview of how things went down personally, and otherwise. For now, I have to take my daily dose of Zinc Sulfate, but not without leaving you with Egogo Nor La's single titled "Corona Virus". I hope you enjoy it, I did.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEip5Ky-KFk


'kovich


COVID-19 MUSINGS https://madukovich./2020/05/24/covid-19-musings/