It is ill-advised to relax lockdown now – Director, CIDR

The Director of the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research, Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Isa Sadiq Abubakar, has described the decision by some state governments to relax the lockdown in their states over the COVID-19 outbreak as “ill advised.”

Prof. Abubakar, also of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital told Daily Trust on phone that the decision would negate whatever progress had been made in containing the spread of the virus in Nigeria.

“That is categorically a very wrong step to take because we are watching what is happening across the globe.

“The pandemic is ravaging developed countries, many are being infected every second, and many are still dying from the disease.

“I do not know what informed the decision of the state governors to start relaxing the lockdown. That is ill advised.

“Many are being deceived by the fact that we are not recording astronomical numbers but I want to draw their attention to the fact that we are not testing enough people and that is why our figures are not high,” he said.

He advised that few countries such as China and to a large extent Germany have recorded success in containing the virus spread and their success is based on vigorous testing, stringent lockdown and serious contact tracing, which Nigeria must emphasize upon to successfully contain the pandemic.

“I see no reason why we have made some progress and then we are going back on the progress we have made because things may get out of hand with time,” he said.

Nigeria has tested about 4000 suspected cases and out of which about 270 have returned positive.

Skeptics have claimed that the lack of corresponding rise of people with symptoms reporting to health facilities is indicative that the situation in Nigeria is not critical. Prof. Abubakar thinks that is a misleading claim.

“I do not want to subscribe to that claim because even our surveillance effort are not optimal and what I mean is; to what degree are we getting to the grassroots and finding out what exactly is happening?

“For example in a state you find that you have three to seven teams of health workers representing the surveillance subcommittee of the task force. There is a limited number of places these teams can reach to get people who are likely infected.”

With Abuja, Lagos and Ogun placed in lockdown by the President Muhammadu Buhari last weekend, Prof. Abubakar foresees an extension of the lockdown if Nigeria is serious about containing the pandemic.

“Honestly we need to extend the lockdown in those states and the states that are recording higher number of cases than previously and to succeed in this; we need the public to cooperate with the government by staying home voluntarily.

“Again, we need more public enlightenment on the part of health workers and authorities to let people know that staying home has a lot of advantages.

“Apart from ensuring that people don’t expose themselves to risks, health facilities and health workers will be able to concentrate on suspected cases,” he said.