Opinion-on-coronavirus-and-malaria-in-the-eyes-of-chief-raymond-dokpesi
September 7, 2020 | News
OPINION: ON CORONAVIRUS AND MALARIA IN THE EYES OF CHIEF RAYMOND DOKPESI
It is no news that before now, majority of Nigerians still have their doubts, reservations and skepticism about the Coronavirus pandemic being real in Nigeria or not. While this is largely due to the fact that the Nigerian political leaders have not been able to gain the full public trust of the masses, which is also due to their evident failed promises; the situation has made the majority of Nigerians to find it difficult to believe what the Government says concerning any situation. So, with such an unhealthy situation in the country already, more confusion was thrown into the air when Businessman and founder of DAAR Communications (owners of AIT), Chief Raymond Dokpesi, who was discharged alongside a member of his family from isolation centre in Abuja recently, after being cured of COVID-19, had expressed doubt that he was really infected with the virus.
Dokpesi told journalists, as he was leaving the isolation centre in Abuja that he has doubt and will want to be educated on the difference between malaria and COVID-19. In the video of the interview with journalists which has since gone viral, the media mogul, who is a marine engineer said, “I have doubts in my mind. I want to be properly educated. I am a bloody mechanic. What is the difference between COVID-19, which is a virus, and malaria which is from mosquitoes?”
To further buttress his point, the founder of DAAR Communications noted that every medication that he was treated with while he was in isolation centre were malaria drugs, while some of those confirmed positive for COVID-19 had earlier being diagnosed of malaria. He said, “Because every medication we were given was malaria medication. He then asked: "So when did malaria become COVID-19?” Dokpesi, his daughter-in-law, and six members of his family had tested positive for coronavirus on May 1, three days after his son and Chairman of the board of the company, Raymond Dokpesi Jnr, also tested positive for the virus.
For me, the confusion that followed the said treatment of Dokpesi, and others like him, is really food for thought for all well-meaning Nigerians.
We have been told that the treatment for malaria, is practically the same with the treatment of the Coronavirus (Covid-19). Now, if this is true, then it is about time the Minister of Health and the Director-General of the NCDC, to come out and properly enlighten the Nigerian public, especially on measures/medications to take for possible Coronavirus symptoms.
If according to what Nigerians are being told, as being alleged by some stakeholders, that every person who has tested positive for malaria parasites and high fever, would as well test positive for the corona virus, then the authorities in the health sector should do the needful.
This means that a malaria patient is also a Coronavirus patient. If this is confirmed to be true, then that means there is a treatment for the Covid-19 pandemic, especially since, from what we are told, the machines used for the Coronavirus test can't differentiate the virus from the malaria parasites.
Succinctly, there is need for the Nigerian medical professionals and medical scientists to come out and enlighten Nigerians, and give clarification on this confusion, and the difference between Coronavirus and malaria parasites. If Mr. A tests positive for Coronavirus, it means he will also test positive for the malaria parasites.
In other words, if this situation is true, then the 'no cure yet' for the Coronavirus disease is settled. Truth is, it is not everytime that we have to depend on the developed countries to do everything for us.
Zik Gbemre.
May 18, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
It is no news that before now, majority of Nigerians still have their doubts, reservations and skepticism about the Coronavirus pandemic being real in Nigeria or not. While this is largely due to the fact that the Nigerian political leaders have not been able to gain the full public trust of the masses, which is also due to their evident failed promises; the situation has made the majority of Nigerians to find it difficult to believe what the Government says concerning any situation. So, with such an unhealthy situation in the country already, more confusion was thrown into the air when Businessman and founder of DAAR Communications (owners of AIT), Chief Raymond Dokpesi, who was discharged alongside a member of his family from isolation centre in Abuja recently, after being cured of COVID-19, had expressed doubt that he was really infected with the virus.
Dokpesi told journalists, as he was leaving the isolation centre in Abuja that he has doubt and will want to be educated on the difference between malaria and COVID-19. In the video of the interview with journalists which has since gone viral, the media mogul, who is a marine engineer said, “I have doubts in my mind. I want to be properly educated. I am a bloody mechanic. What is the difference between COVID-19, which is a virus, and malaria which is from mosquitoes?”
To further buttress his point, the founder of DAAR Communications noted that every medication that he was treated with while he was in isolation centre were malaria drugs, while some of those confirmed positive for COVID-19 had earlier being diagnosed of malaria. He said, “Because every medication we were given was malaria medication. He then asked: "So when did malaria become COVID-19?” Dokpesi, his daughter-in-law, and six members of his family had tested positive for coronavirus on May 1, three days after his son and Chairman of the board of the company, Raymond Dokpesi Jnr, also tested positive for the virus.
For me, the confusion that followed the said treatment of Dokpesi, and others like him, is really food for thought for all well-meaning Nigerians.
We have been told that the treatment for malaria, is practically the same with the treatment of the Coronavirus (Covid-19). Now, if this is true, then it is about time the Minister of Health and the Director-General of the NCDC, to come out and properly enlighten the Nigerian public, especially on measures/medications to take for possible Coronavirus symptoms.
If according to what Nigerians are being told, as being alleged by some stakeholders, that every person who has tested positive for malaria parasites and high fever, would as well test positive for the corona virus, then the authorities in the health sector should do the needful.
This means that a malaria patient is also a Coronavirus patient. If this is confirmed to be true, then that means there is a treatment for the Covid-19 pandemic, especially since, from what we are told, the machines used for the Coronavirus test can't differentiate the virus from the malaria parasites.
Succinctly, there is need for the Nigerian medical professionals and medical scientists to come out and enlighten Nigerians, and give clarification on this confusion, and the difference between Coronavirus and malaria parasites. If Mr. A tests positive for Coronavirus, it means he will also test positive for the malaria parasites.
In other words, if this situation is true, then the 'no cure yet' for the Coronavirus disease is settled. Truth is, it is not everytime that we have to depend on the developed countries to do everything for us.
Zik Gbemre.
May 18, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes