CORONAVIRUS 7 – KANO AGAINST COVID-19 INITIATIVE

This Initiative, founded by many prominent Kano sons and daughters, plus many Kano lovers from other places, is working apace to complement efforts by all (including government) in tackling the Coronavirus pandemic which has ‘targeted’ Kano particularly viciously. The five committees of the Initiative (Health; Finance; Communication; ICT; and Post-COVID-19) which are supervised by a Steering Committee and superintended by a Governing Council, are working assiduously to make a difference in the situation on the ground in Kano and, by extension, neighbouring states as well as all Arewa.

One of the Initiative’s most significant interventions was last week’s distribution of palliatives to COVID-19 Positive Residents of Kano’s Isolation Centres (which the patients would redirect to their families while they are ‘away’ in isolation. This will go a long way in reassuring ‘positive-others’ that, apart from treating them of the virus, their families shall not suffer more than the absence of the traditional breadwinners, as most of the patients are adult males. Meaning, positive people can have rest of mind, so to say.

Now, this is very important because at present in Kano and many other states of the country, reports indicate that hundreds of ‘tested-positive’ people have refused to make themselves available to be isolated and treated. Many are said to have just disappeared into thin air when they were informed of their positive test results. It is therefore assumed that they are at present continuously infecting others by the day. According to reports, all efforts to trace such positive patients have been unsuccessful because they have switched off their phones and left their homes, while their families and relatives claim they don’t know where they are.

An important and critical question now is: “Shouldn’t these positive people who have refused to avail themselves for isolation and treatment forfeit their anonymities and have their identities revealed so as to protect others?” Although this is a matter for medical ethicists to think through and provide guidance, the fact is that these positive people are endangering the lives of millions of others, especially in view of the relatively miniscule numbers of tests still going on in the country (compare, for example, the 100,000 tests IN A SINGLE DAY in the UK at the peak of the pandemic to Nigeria’s about 100,000 tests IN 100 OR SO DAYS altogether).

While that debate of ‘to divulge name or not to divulge’ goes on, it is hoped that perhaps this isolation centre palliative distribution by the Kano Initiative may lure some of them back, if one of their fears is: “What happens to my family while I am away?” But still, this is a matter of urgent national health attention – positively-tested people living and going about within the communities.

Another issue the Initiative is looking into is the recent Federal Government revelation that more than half of all those who died in Kano between April and May (when the weather hovered around 42 and 43 degrees Centigrade) died as a result of COVID-19. The number given, 587, perhaps includes many of the people we have mourned on this very page. The question here is, therefore, would or should the NCDC now include these figures in the national tally? We may recall that in the UK, when deaths in care-homes escalated, government decided to include them in the national COVID-19 casualty statistics, because Coronavirus was to blame even if tangentially.

One of the activities this Columnist and this newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, another prominent Kano journalist, are directly involved in are the components to do with dialogue with Heads of Media Agencies in Kano (for synergy and corporate social responsibility) as well as the training of media practitioners (for enhanced and better-informed COVID-19 reporting). Another related intervention is the ongoing Training-of-Trainers (TOT) for Kano State Imams which the Initiative is running in association with Kano’s Council of Imams and Council of Ulama. It is significant to note that a majority of Imams are now on the same page with relevant experts on this important matter of COVID-19.

As a collateral advantage, the Initiative has popularised meetings via the Zoom app. Hardly a couple of days passes without one committee, sub-committee or group of assignees ‘meeting’ on Zoom to deliberate on issues at hand and chart ways forward on tasks assigned. Gradually, even IT-challenged senior colleagues have imbibed the Zoom culture – some of the more adventurous younger colleagues are even experimenting with other platforms such as Google Meet (while the golden oldies are still struggling with Zoom and the earlier online meeting favourite, Skype).

Now, two matters have defined the week for this Columnist; number one is the recent revelation by the authorities that, in the whole Arewa, my own Local Government Area, Tarauni, leads others in Kano State in COVID-19 prevalence (and, to add salt to the soup, Gyadi-Gyadi Arewa Ward, where this Columnist grew up, tops all Tarauni’s Wards). To Allah Ya kiyaye!

Second matter was to do with a WhatsApp ‘opinion piece’ which mentioned three deaths of prominent people in Lagos. The piece, edited to safeguard anonymity, read: “Chief So-and So did not leave his house for three months; yet he died this week. Alhaja Mrs. So-and-So also did not leave her house for three months until last week; yet she also died this week…” Now this kind of story without context (as to what actually happened or how old they were or whether they had underlying ailments) succeeds only in scaring people further – that even the stay-indoors stay-safe tactic is not working. Journalistically speaking, such ‘stories’ without such context should not be shared under whatever circumstances.

Now for some bonus information: For those who need to see a doctor but for one reason or another cannot, there are E-Doctor Telemedicine numbers one can use: 0706 969 6985 and 01 888 5014. Even though both numbers are domiciled at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, I believe others from outside Kano could also use it.

May Allah make it easy for us all.