Coronavirus no longer a disease for ‘the rich’ and abroad returnee alone, Minister of Health warns

Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Health has disclosed that the Coronavirus pandemic has gone past being a disease for just rich people.

This disclosure was made by the minister at Wednesday’s briefing of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.

Ehanire stated that primary healthcare (PHC) system is very important at this stage in containing the infection at the grassroots.

He also revealed that Nigeria is currently in the community transmission phase.

Ehanire said;

“The role of primary healthcare is very important in this exercise in the sense that now we are in the community transmission phase. 

“We have passed that era when people used to think that the coronavirus infection was something for big men and women who came from abroad. And because it came from abroad, they are the ones who would suffer for it. Now that it has gone to community level, it is really down at the grassroots and the role of the primary healthcare comes into play.

“It is very important for them to be able to do the surveillance, to raise the index of suspicion, to find persons who should go for treatment and sometimes to move around the community and be able to identify people who might have symptoms but have not gone to facility.”