17th March, 2020
By: Amir
Abdulazeez
W
|
hen America killed the Iranian Commander of the Quds Forces,
Major General Qasem Soleimani barely three days into the new year 2020, only
few people believe that by now there wouldn’t be a full blown war not just
involving the two countries, but one which may well set the path to another World
War. Soleimani was killed by a drone near the Baghdad Airport while he was reportedly
planning to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi to discuss Iran-Saudi
Arabia peace mediation in Baghdad.
Although, some tension-escalating events like the attack
on the American embassy in Baghdad among others that followed the assassination
represented some serious threats, but the current situation now suggests that
the US-Iranian conflict is no longer an issue taking centre-stage, at least for
now. The two countries involved and the world at large are now fighting a
different unprecedented battle against a common global enemy, a war against
corona virus.
When coronavirus was announced as an emerging pandemic
on the 20th January in South Korea, some media outlets termed it ‘Chinese’ coronavirus. Little did
anyone know that it will soon become global. At about the same time, China’s National
Health Commission had reported only the third death from coronavirus, the
number of infected having increased by 136 during the previous two days. That
report came after Chinese authorities had confirmed that the virus had spread
from the Wuhan Province to major cities, including Shenzhen, Beijing, and Hong
Kong. Two months later, we are now talking of the virus covering about 83% of
the world’s countries in a manner so rapid mysterious that raises more
questions than experts can answers.
The latest updates on the virus reveals that about 160
countries across all inhabited continents have recorded at least a case and about
100 countries have between 50 to 100 cases. Prior to this, the total cases confirmed
in Europe as at 31st January was probably not up to a hundred. Presently,
China still tops the list with over 82,000 cases, Italy which about six weeks
ago had only 2 cases or so is second with about 28,000 cases, Iran has over
16,000, Spain over 11,000 and South Korea about 8,500 cases making 3rd,
4th and 5th worst affected nations respectively. Every hour,
these figures change for the worse and every 24 hours, the worsening situation escalates
geometrically depending on territories. For example, there have been 13,903 new cases and 862 new deaths
globally from yesterday.
What is corona virus? It sounds quite odd that despite
been a global pandemic, many of us have still not taken time to truly know what
the virus is. The word ‘Corona’ itself is a biological term. In Anatomy it refers
to the crown-like upper portion of a bodily part or structure, such as the top
of the head. In Botany, it is a crown-shaped, funnel-shaped, or trumpet-shaped
outgrowth or appendage of the perianth of certain flowers, such as a daffodil. The
World Health Organization (WHO) described Coronaviruses (CoV) as large family
of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe
diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are
transmitted between animals and people.
Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet
cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known
coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.
Coronavirus disease is a new strain that was
discovered in 2019 (hence the code COVID-19) and has not been previously
identified in humans before now. Common signs of infection include respiratory
symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more
severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome,
kidney failure and even death. Standard recommendations to prevent infection
spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and
sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone
showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
We have had many pandemics in history. From the small
pox that reportedly killed millions in 1520 to the Asian Flu that
killed 1.1 million between 1957-1958, the world has seen enough. In this millennium,
SARS, Swine Flu, MERS and Ebola (all largely regional pandemics) have been
responsible for the death of over 210,000 people. Corona may not be the
deadliest, but it is proving to be one of the most historical in contemporary
times because of its spatial coverage and temporal brutality. It has generated a
chain of events that are changing the course of history.
Before now, the last time Iran asked for IMF loan was
1962. Price of crude oil per barrel is below $30, down from about $65 in early January.
The Saudi Arabia authorities have reportedly suspended all Umrah (lesser Hajj) activities
with the main 2020 Hajj itself billed for August/September in serious in doubt.
Multi-billion-dollar sporting events are now cancelled and postponed with Euro 2020
football competition becoming the latest victim. International and local
flights have been grounded with over 90% cancelled. Cities are now on lockdowns;
public places are shut down almost everywhere. Leaders of countries and
highly-placed government officials are testing positive for the virus. The US-President
Donald Trump was recently pressured by the public outcries to subject himself
to a test.
Although, the global confirmed cases are still a little
below 200,000 as at now and total deaths still below 10,000, the global
population are in panic. Over 7 billion people are concerned about the mystery
surrounding the diseases living under the fear that any place and anyone could
be next. The over $88 trillion global GDP from 193 economies is facing its
worst uncertainties. Virtually everything and everyone has been directly or
indirectly affected by the virus.
In all these, there is a big lesson for Africa and Nigeria.
Africa is lucky yet that the pandemic is still not an epidemic in the
continent, but this should call for caution and more preparation and not the
complacency and mockery circulating that black people have immunity and all
that. The bigger lesson we however have to learn is the need to start giving attention
to our health sector which we have not taken seriously over the years. Our health
sector is not only one of the worst, but also one of the most inadequate and
inefficient and we are doing little or close to nothing to fix it. That our leaders
can no longer travel for medical trips because of Corona, at least for now
should force them to fix the facilities we have here and provide the ones we
lack.
Health budgeting must improve from states to federal. The
federal Government budgeted only N441.5 billion (4%) for the entire health
sector. This is about N2000 per citizen for the whole year. Kano for example with
a population of about 20 million has since 2011 spent over N50 billion on white
elephant flyovers and underpasses while its health sector is overstretched to a
limit beyond comprehension. In situations like these that we can barely provide
routine healthcare, how can we deal with epidemics and pandemics successfully?
The first few weeks of the 2020 gave us a hint about
the year to expect. The continuation of the Australian bushfires from 2019; the
stampede at Soleimani’s funeral killing 56 people and injuring 213; a magnitude
6.4 earthquake in Puerto Rico; renewed Boko Haram atrocities with 30 people
killed in Gamboru, Borno State; about 50 people killed and over 19,000
displaced as flash floods hit the Indonesian capital of Jakarta; 36 people
killed and others injured after a building under construction collapses in Kep,
Cambodia. All of these happened in the first seven days of 2020. As if that was
not all, the next week started with a Boeing 737-800 crashing (later reported
to have been ‘mistakenly’ shot by Iranian authorities) while taking off from
Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board.
The truth is that 2020 has been a tough year for the
world so far. Many countries have been taking additional measures to absorb the
shocks provided by the year and preparing to navigate and end it on a stronger note. With
Corona proving to be more than just a virus, Presidents are addressing citizens
giving them assurances on measures taken to put the situation under control
medically, economically and socially. Here in Nigeria, we are above 2020, we
have started talking of 2023.
Twitter: @AmirAbdulazeez
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