Dennis Wendo: Ignorance Should Not Subject Us To COVID-19 Threats

Dennis Wendo,

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 10- The efforts by the Ministry of health and the government in curbing Covid-19 infections and ravages are estimable.

The intensive awareness programs and the mitigative measures in place manifest progress in the fight against the pandemic.

Omicron BA.2 variant which now accounts for half of the world’s infections has been detected in over 57 countries, Kenya among them.

The variant is highly transmissible, compared to the Delta variant which is 60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant; first identified in the U.K. Alpha variant is about 50 percent more transmissible than the ancestral Wuhan strain.

Omicron BA.2 presents more dangers than the Delta variant. Several countries have taken stringent measures to curb the spread of the deadly virus by enforcing inter and extra travel bans, partial and full lock-downs, full adherence to containment measures as well as mandatory vaccination approach.

“Authorities in China’s southwestern city of Baise which has a population of about 3.6 million and borders Vietnam have ordered residents to stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel, to contain any flare-ups”

As a nation we must remain vigilant to avoid getting back into the insufferable situations; that yielded immense pressure to all the sectors of the economy. The scars of the pandemic are still deep rooted right from the household units to the national level.

Though the positivity rate and fatalities are on a decline; back-pedalling in observing containment measures is disastrous. The main mode of the virus transmission is by people’s movement.

Let us heed the government’s call; go for regular tests and full dose vaccination. “Only a complete dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can protect against this dangerous variant”.

Vaccinated people are less likely to get infected than unvaccinated individuals, and they are also less likely to pass it on.

Selective side-effect cases on those vaccinated have been reported; mostly in those with underlying medical conditions; challenges of fake vaccines on the market and non-scientific myths surrounding the vaccine have been cited too.

Let the government through the tasked multi-agencies re-double their efforts in addressing the aforementioned concerns through information, communication and education awareness.

Laxity in Covid-19 uptake by a majority of students in secondary schools aged between 13-18years is on rise; with parents declining to give consent to school administrations to facilitate the process.

Let us guard against the spread of the virus “by- ourselves”. Individual responsibility either at entertainment joints, funerals, weddings and public gatherings, shields one from getting infected.

The country is in full campaign mood with various competing factions pulling huge masses in their rallies. A majority of those attending these political gatherings are unvaccinated; care-less about masking and social distancing.

The political class needs to be wary of this trend and be in the forefront of driving Covid-19 vaccination awareness. The political class should not overlook the effects impacted by Covid – 19 on the citizens, front-line service providers, medical infrastructure and the economy at large.

Let us en masse get vaccinated; shun short-cuts of faking covid-19 clearance certificates; avoid bribing the medics and morgue attendants into arm-twisting medical reports on real causes of deaths for the mutual benefit of our families, society and the nation. Let us tread carefully not to reach situations where elections might have to be postponed as a result of another Covid-19 wave.

Dennis Wendo is the founder of the Integrated Development Network; Email: dambehi@gmail.com.