Home Care Killing wealthy Nigerians dying of COVID-19 - FG Says

Nigeria’s health minister, Osagie Ehanire, has disclosed that most COVID-19 deaths in the country occur among educated and wealthy people who chose to be treated at home.

Ehanire made the disclosure on Tuesday, May 19, during a briefing by the presidential task force on COVID-19 in Abuja, The Cable reports.

He said the patients who chose home-based care were only rushed to hospitals after sudden complications. “Not only are most fatalities observed to be linked with pre-existing diseases, many of them are educated well-to-do people, who chose home-based care where complications suddenly developed and they have to be rushed to the hospital,” Ehanire said.

The minister urged anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 to seek medical attention and not to self-medicate. He pointed out that COVID-19 causes breathing complications in patients which makes home-based care risky.

Meanwhile, the federal government has advised Nigerians to hope for the best but prepare for the worst in dealing with the realities of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

The advice was specifically given by the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja. Ehanire, therefore, urged all Nigerians especially those in the health sector to dedicate a great amount of time at this period to gather vital knowledge about the disease.

He made it clear that one disturbing trend observed from statistics is that deaths from the virus are mostly linked to other underlying diseases.