Community transmission of Coronavirus COVID-19 wetin e mean? – Di ansa and how to stop am dey here

Health workers for Lagos state coronavirus test centre

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Officials for Nigeria say di kontri dey for di stage where COVID- 19 dey spread for community.

But wetin be community spread, and dem fit stop am?

Here na wetin you need know:

Community spread mean say someone wey dey infected but health officials no dey sure as to where or how e take catch di virus.

When di outbreak bin first start, pipo wey dey at risk of di infection na dos wey just travel come from areas wey dey affected. Di first cases wey dey that time, na from pipo wey go Wuhan China, where di outbreak first start.

But as di disease continue to dey spread for di world, pipo begin catch am afta dem travel to places like Italy, Kentucky and California.

Community spread begin dey popular since late February, wen one pesin wey no get any recent travel history test positive for di virus for California. For Texas, dem report di first case of community spread for 11 March afta one Houston man wey no get any travel history or near anyone wey fit don dey exposed to di virus test positive.

City officials and health experts don take serious actions like closing of schools and businesses because di virus go dey very hard to control once e begin spread from one pesin to anoda for inside community.

Community spread of coronavirus

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How you fit stop community spread?

Health experts say na through social distancing, when you no go where plenty pipo gada, no near anybody and make di distance between you and anoda pesin no too dey close, na wetin fit stop or slow community spread.

Di idea of social distancing (dey your lane) don make many pipo begin work from house for dia companies, many kontris don cancel events wey fit make plenty pipo gada and plenty sporting events don cancel.

Dr. John Carlo, former Dallas County medical director and CEO of Prism Health North Texas, say social distancing wey come in a way, wey go make many events cancel, na di first sure way to take control di outbreak.

Health experts say other things wey pipo fit do na to wash hand always, cover your mouth with toilet rolls or your elbow when you cough and sneeze and dey always clean things for house and when you touch anywhere, all na ways community spread fit stop.

How community transmission dey happun for Nigeria

E be like say we no dey get pipo wey sick well-well maybe because of di lockdown and maybe because those wey weak pass – old pipo for example no dey exposed (as part of di lockdown) and because most of our population dey young. Half of us dey under di age of 18, e pipo like say di tin no dey hold dem like that.

Na wetin Dr. Orode O. Doherty, di Medical Director for Ingress Health Partners tell BBC Pidgin

Di only real way to stop to dey infect others whether inside community or any other place na for pipo to avoid each other. Di virus no fit live outside of our body… di only way e dey spread na when one pesin give anoda pesin. Doherty add.

Stop community spread of coronavirus

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How to stop di Community spread for Lagos and Nigeria?

Dis no dey possible because e go mean say di serious lockdown wey we don see dey cause hunger and insecurity. So we need to change di way we dey behave to allow us do social distancing but at di same time e no go stop important areas of di economy to kontinu to dey work until di spreading reach zero, or we get vaccine for am, di Medical Director for Ingress Health Partners tell BBC Pidgin

She say In di meantime we need to increase our testing and find those wey fit don get di virus. Dis go allow us to maintain our economy – as we dey do social distancing, give protection to old and pipo wey no well, reduce how we dey gada for public, to dey wear masks, not to stop washing of hands, and to give support to di poor and those wey need treatment. On top dis one make we no forget we get medical workers wey dey face di virus both for public and private sectors, wey if dem no get Personal Protective Equipment, e go cause dem serious gbege and take us back.

Also put am for mind say if di economy drop to zero, too many people go die of hunger- young pipo wey we no fit afford to lose.

Pipo need to work and pipo need to farm and make food etc.

So now Nigeria dey deal with plenty poverty, different different community wey no gel, public health system wey don kpafuka, and how di economy dey depend on importation to produce wetin we even need to take face di palava well well and package oursef.

Like many private sector providers for Lagos we don dey allow pipo to use phone to get medical advice, to educate our patient, to make sure we dey use social media to reach di general public and to make sure say we support for pipo wey get specific need.

We dey collaborate with private providers for Lagos, to support di work wey private practitioners dey do.

Also, we don dey epp pipo wey dis tin fit affect easily, old pipo, pipo wey sick, pregnant women and women wey just born and pikin wey get need medical attention.

We dey do dis through social media like Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp. Also zoom meetings and insta- live sessions, she tok.

BBC Pidgin Covid 19 graphics

BBC