Coronavirus: WHO worries more Nigerians, other black peoples are not dying from infection

The World Health Organization has warned Nigeria and other African countries to sit up as the figures of infection and fatalities from the continent don’t add up.

So far 233 cases of the deadly virus had been registered in sub-Saharan Africa which makes it the least-affected region in a global pandemic.

Nigeria has yet to record any death of its citizen infected. The first death in the country was that of an American who flew in sick March 3.

The total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria now stands at eight since the virus broke out last December in China.

But, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, believes more people should have died or be infected in Nigeria and across Africa, considering the fatality of the deadly virus in other parts of the world.

More than 200, 000 confirmed cases have been recorded globally, and 8000 were killed by the virus.

Speaking to journalists in a virtual news conference on Wednesday, the DG said Africa needs to wake up as official numbers of COVID-19 cases do not likely reflect the full picture.

“Even if there truly were no more than 233 cases of the disease in Africa, that number could scale up quickly,” he said.

“Africa should wake up. Probably we have undetected cases or unreported cases.”

He noted the virus actually accelerates after a certain tipping point, so the “best advice for Africa is to prepare for the worst and prepare today”.

There have been unproved theories that black people are somewhat immune against the virus, seeing that the pandemic is only ravaging Europe and the West.

But the Nigerian government has been warning that nobody is immune because of their black skin, and that nothing being speculated as a cure can heal the infected or halt the spread.

“WHO’s recommendation is actually that mass gatherings should be avoided,” said the D-G.