DR MAXWELL ADEYEMI

The ongoing covid19 situation is a clear and present danger to us all. It has turned into a situation of not "if" but "when" you will be infected. Each day things seems to be getting worse and many are being gripped by fear. It’s time we all take responsibility for the mess that the situation has become, stop the blame game and rise to the occasion to find solution to save the country from further calamity.

There is an African proverb that says: "If a man sees a snake and a woman kills it, or a woman sees a snake and a man kills it, the most important goal is that the snake is dead,” and the danger is averted. I am mortified by the way we continue to blame each other about how things have turned out because of what should have been done or not done, instead of recognising the danger that puts everyone at risk. We should therefore now advance solid and beneficial plans and ideas to tackle the pandemic and put an end to the petty squabbles that help no one.

Prevention was best approach

Generally, during a pandemic and most infectious disease outbreaks, prevention is usually the best hope and is ideal, hence the great efforts directed at lock downs to keep the virus away or minimise spread. But protracted lock downs can destroy commercial and social activities and cripple an economy, which is why the collective discipline of the populace is critical to the battle we are fighting. Sadly, while many are compliant, some continue to be reckless and put the rest of the population in harms way in the name of “rights,” while others do it out of pure ignorance and selfishness.

Presently it appears we are losing the battle of prevention as the escalating number of infections daily indicates serious community spread that are out of control. The horse of prevention to subdue the virus is gradually bolting, and there is need for a serious turn around by the citizens, especially those who continue to ignore health guidelines and protocols.

Massive vaccination our ray of hope

With the virus now raging within the population, our brightest hope at the moment is achieving herd immunity in a quick time. This means we need to embark on massive vaccinations of at least 70-80 per cent of the population. To achieve this we need to educate the citizens, sufficient procurement of vaccines, and to minimise the miseducation of certain sections of the society so that vaccine hesitancy and refusal is eliminated or reduced to barest minimum.

Who should take the vaccine

Many people are concerned about if they should take the vaccine, especially because they have underlying health conditions or comorbidities. The fact that you have any of these conditions is the more reason why you should take the vaccine. Health issues compromise your ability to fight the virus if you get infected, but taking the vaccine will reduce your risk of negative outcome and increase your body’s ability to fight the virus. People with diabetes, hypertension, and cancer should not re