UN says governments may loose the battle against COVID-19
The United Nations (UN) has warned that the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic may be lost.
The admonition came as a result of doubts about the virus growing among many Nigerians. Viral videos have emerged purporting that the virus might be fake. #EndCovidScamNow has become the trend.
In the statement they issued, NMA leaders Dr Saliu Oseni (chairman) and Dr Ramon Moronkola (secretary) said: “The Lagos State branch has resolved that it is presently unsafe for its members to continue to provide healthcare services under the present confused arrangement. We resolve that all doctors under the auspices of the Nigerian Medical Association in Lagos proceed on a sit-at-home starting from 6:00 p.m,May 20, indefinitely.
Some state governors have however,come out to accuse the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for allegedly inflating the figures of cases in their various States.
The UN chief warned: “The pandemic threatens African progress. It will aggravate long-standing inequalities and heighten hunger, malnutrition and vulnerability to disease. Already, demand for Africa’s commodities, tourism and remittances are declining. The opening of the trade zone has been pushed back – and millions could be pushed into extreme poverty. The virus has taken more than 2,500 African lives. Vigilance and preparedness are critical.”
Guterres nevertheless commended “what African countries have done already, together with the African Union,” saying he had “been calling for a global response package amounting to at least 10 per cent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product for Africa” and continues to “advocate a comprehensive debt framework - starting with an across-the-board debt standstill for countries unable to service their debt, followed by targeted debt relief and a comprehensive approach to structural issues in the international debt architecture to prevent defaults.”
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