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Opinions of Sunday, 6 September 2020

Columnist: thisdaylive.com

Why coronavirus spared Africa

Minister of state for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire Minister of state for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire

I first saw the angry retort from people on the BBC write-up trying to understand the low incidence of COVID-19 in Africa relative to the outside world.

You know me, I don’t like getting carried away like that, so I looked for the article to read myself.

First, its core was based in South Africa where it admitted that the death rate there was seven times lower than that of the UK.

They further agreed that all over Africa the incidence of COVID-19 has been markedly very low. 'They say na poverty na him be the defence'.

So the assertion is that due to an earlier ravage of other Coronaviruses and influenza due to very poor living conditions, the treatment at that time may have conferred certain immunity this time around. My take is that 'make dem no worry themselves'.

God in his infinite mercy knows how to protect the unprotected. Going by our squalid conditions and weak healthcare delivery system, by now the whole of Africa should have been decimated.

Shebi God has seen the evil of the NDDC people who were spending trillions on face masks and fainting, coupled with all sorts of self-made wahala we find ourselves, he let us dodge this one.

So, these BBC people, please concentrate on your side, the thing is still ravaging that side. Let your researchers continue the good work for that side, for here we still dey with open defaecation and other such bad lifestyle choices occasioned by poor leadership.

You people are not allowing us concentrate on more deadly illnesses because of this your COVID-19 that even our aje-butter governors are recovering almost immediately. We get bigger problems, no be COVID-19 dey do us now. Mbok, what is the mortality rate for malaria, abi na cholera? Pls, leave us alone.