From Uche Uche, Damaturu
Yobe state Covid-19 prevention and control committee under the chairmanship of Hon. Idi Barde Gubana, the state deputy governor, has consistently urged citizens to ensure social distancing in their offices, markets and other public places as well as making the wearing of face masks in all public places mandatory and to be strictly observed.
But many in the state are still sceptical about the existence of the virus let alone practicing the measures given for protecting oneself from being infected as well as to control the spreading of the virus.
However, the New Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, IHME COVID-19 Forecasts for Sub-Saharan Africa has discovered that mask-wearing and other prevention measures could prevent over 60,000 deaths by December 1 and alternatively, that if governments instead continue to relax social distancing measures, and mask-wearing is not widely practiced, total deaths by December 1 could rise to 131,101.
It pointed out that near universal adherence to mask-wearing and other prevention measures could reduce the death toll to 66,100 total deaths by December 1, however, if people ignore such efforts, IHME forecasts 126,225 deaths.
Deaths could range from 66,100 to 131,101, depending on prevention measures. South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Senegal most at-risk of high numbers of deaths, said Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa CDC: ‘Many thousands of deaths can be prevented’
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