From Victor Emeruwa
A foremost virologist and former Vice Chancellor of Redeemer University, Professor Oyewale Tomori has said that only non-pharmaceutical measures like the use of nose mask, hand washingand maintaining social distance can end the various COVID-19 variance
in the country.
The former Redeemer University Vice-Chancellor and foremost Virologist
insists that the public has what it takes to control as well as end
the COVID 19 pandemic: “The most important part of control is adhering
to those non-pharmaceutical interventions. Vaccines came in because we
have failed to use those interventions to stop the virus on its track
and if we still continue to fail to adhere to the non-pharmaceutical
procedures we will continue to have variances that will override the
vaccines we are producing.
“So it is back to basics, we need to go back to insisting on the
non-pharmaceutical, as long as we are attending big gatherings, not
using masks, not washing hands, we will continue to have different
variance.”
Tomori blames the new ravaging variance on the attitude of people. He
insists that the only way to stop the virus on its track is to avoid
crowded places and use nose masks. Tomori said the countries which
have succeeded in managing the COVID 19 pandemic are those serious
about imploring the non-pharmaceutical measures.
So far, the virus is rapidly mutating into variances which are posing
new challenges to medical science. As new variances emerge, it
compounds the medication and management of the pandemic.
Professor Tomori said there is no need to worry for those who are
concerned about being re-infected after vaccination: “We have ascribed
to the vaccine what it is not supposed to do, vaccines are not
designed to prevent your exposure, you are the one to prevent your
exposure, if you cannot prevent your exposure it means you can still
get infected, the vaccine still will not stop you from getting
infected, however, if you have the vaccine and you have developed
immunity, that infection will not become a disease, that infection
will not progress to hospitalization, that infection will not progress
to death that is what the vaccine does. And it is not the day you get
your vaccine that you develop immunity, it takes 10 days to 2 weeks.
So if in that period before you get to the stage of immunity, you get
infected you can still get disease but the vaccines will prevent
severity and hospitalization”.
