COVID 19 AND GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA
COVID 19 AND GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA (1)
Covid 19 is the name given to the disease associated with Corona virus that started in Wuhan, China towards the end of 2019. Corona viruses are viruses that circulate among animals but some of them are known to infect human beings. The virus is spread from human to human via small respiratory droplets through sneezing, coughing or contact with infected person or surface. When a person comes in contact with the droplets and touch his or her nose, mouth or eyes, he or she will get infected. The virus can survive on different surfaces for several hours and probably to a few days. The incubation period i.e time of exposure to the virus and onset of symptoms is between one and fourteen days. The main symptoms are fever, cough, sore throat and difficulty in breathing (respiratory distress).
By Otive Igbuzor
The way a country is able to respond to the Covid 19 pandemic depends on the strength of its governance system. Governance is the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority to manage the affairs of an entity like a country or a state. It is made up of the mechanisms, processes, relationships and institutions that are used to manage the affairs.
I am starting this Covid 19 and governance in Nigeria series during this period of lock down to examine the challenges of Covid 19 in Nigeria and its implications for governance. In particular, I will focus on governance failures and what needs to be done to strengthen our governance system. I hope that researchers, policy makers, civil society activists and the general public will find the series useful.
COVID-19 AND GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA (2)
APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO COVID-19
From the response of governments across the world so far and guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO), we can delineate three ways to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic:
- Good Health System: Covid-19 has no cure and no vaccine to prevent it at the moment. The only way to treat is to manage the symptoms before self-resolution. In order to do this requires a good health system with qualified and motivated personnel, equipment and institutional capacity. It has been pointed out that the relatively low casualty figures from Germany can be attributed to a good health system.
- Testing and Treatment: Response to the pandemic depends on how quickly you can detect the disease and manage those that have been infected. This requires the availability of test kits, personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators. It is important to note that individuals at the highest risk for severe disease and death include people aged over 60 years and those with underlying conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer.[i]