The Clinical Services at the National Obstetric Fistula Centre (NOFIC) in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital has alerted Nigerians of the return of the Covid-19 virus.
The warning was contained in a memorandum dated August 22, 2023, and addressed to the hospital community by Dr Yakubu E N, the Head of Clinical Services at the National Obstetric Fistula Centre in Abakaliki.
Yakubu emphasized in the memo titled “FYI: COVID Is On The Prowl Again, Caution, Please” that the new variant of the Coronavirus was deadlier than the one that emerged in 2019.
The doctor advised against hugging and encouraged the use of double facemasks.
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He highlighted that the new variant primarily will affect the lungs and cautioned that nasal swab tests often yield negative results, making detection more challenging.
Part of the memo read:
“BA.4 and BA.5 COVID delta, there is no cough, no fever.
“It’s a lot of joint pain, headache, neck and upper back pain, general weakness, loss of appetite, and pneumonia.
“Sore throat that resembles strep throat, and of course, is more virulent and with a higher mortality rate. It takes less time to go to extremes. Sometimes without symptoms. Be more careful.
“This strain does not live in the nasopharyngeal region. Now it directly affects the lungs, which means that the “windows” periods are shorter. There have been several patients without fever, without pain, but who report mild chest pneumonia on their X-rays. Nasal swab tests are very often negative for COVID-19, and there are more and more false negative results from nasopharyngeal tests.
“This means that the virus spreads and spreads directly to the lungs, causing acute respiratory stress caused by viral pneumonia. This explains why it has become sharp, more virulent, and deadly. Please, be extremely careful.
“Avoid crowded places, keep 1.5 distance even in open places, double face masks, and wash your hands often (and when you cough or sneeze). Please no hugs, it is very dangerous at the moment, as almost everyone is asymptomatic.
“This ‘wave’ is much more deadly than the first, so we have to be VERY careful and take every kind of precaution.
“Do not keep this information to yourself; share it as much as you can, especially with your friends.”
