Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade has faulted the Federal Government’s approach to fighting the novel coronavirus [COVID-19] disease in Nigeria while also offering a detailed scientific explanation on how to produce effective vaccines that can cure and help contain further spread of the deadly virus in the country.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Ayade, a Professor of Microbiology whose Doctoral Dissertation in Environmental Microbiology was awarded the best at the University of Ibadan (UI) as far back as 1994 is not new to science.
The governor who spoke passionately in a recent interview with reporters in Calabar said Nigeria is blessed with thousands of renowned virology scholars whose professional ingenuity can help provide a lasting cure to the raging pandemic that has brought the strongest of global economies on their knees. He noted with concern how the renowned scholars were ‘wasting away’ in the universities as the nation continually underuses them.
Jobs, Healthy lifestyles before vaccines
To begin with Ayade advocated the creation of jobs for the people and conscious enlightenment of adoption of a healthy living lifestyle. He explained that it was not enough for the world to focus its attention on getting a vaccine when the people are daily living in abject poverty. He said with good jobs and daily healthy lifestyles, diseases will disappear.
“African should come to the realisation that it is not vaccines, it is healthy living, give people jobs. South Africa’s former President, Thebo Mbeki once told the world don’t tell us about giving us drugs for HIV in South Africa, give us money, let us improve our Agriculture. Let everybody have a job and embrace living healthy. HIV virus will disappear. The same thing with Coronavirus. It will sound very controversial but they should know that I am talking from a very sound intellectual and scientific background,” Ayade explained.
PCR vaccine test method not reliable
Meanwhile, the governor also faulted Nigeria’s testing model. According to him, the method (Polymerase Chain Reaction, PCR) adopted by Nigeria and other nations is unreliable and not meant for diagnostic purposes. In his words: “The PCR test method is an unreliable method and was never meant to be used for diagnostic purposes but for genomic sequences (research purpose). But PCR is being used, test kits are being produced and the manufacturers are making cool money. If I test you and you are coronavirus positive, what do I do?
Scientific analysis, processes of making effective COVID-19 vaccine
The governor while explaining the best approach to formulate an effective vaccine which is either at conception or testing stage all over the world said samples of recovered COVID-19 patients is key to producing effective vaccines.
There’s no vaccine today nor is there any established approved international treatment protocol. However, in Nigeria and other countries, announcements of recovered and discharged patients are made daily. To produce an efficient vaccine we must take the serum of those who recovered completely from the virus. This is because they (recovered COVID-19 patients) will naturally develop antibodies against the virus upon recovery. Do a synthesis of their serum based on the electrophoresis and synthesize and mass produce the vaccine.
Federal Government should fund research, production of vaccines
Having highlighted the steps to producing an effective vaccine, Governor Ayade charged the Federal Government to fund the research and mass production of the vaccines.
The federal government should start putting money on the research of the production of COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria. We have intelligent professors of virology in Nigeria laying waste in the universities. With the money you have now you can set up a first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art vaccine production plant in Nigeria. I teach immunology in the university so I can explain how these things work. Amongst the number of people that you say are now recovered from the virus and discharged, you can extract their serum, take it through the laboratory process to discover which responded to the virus, then synthesize it and mass produce it and that becomes your vaccine.
WHO warns: ‘recovered COVID-19 patients not immune to reinfection’
Since the governor’s approach to producing an effective vaccine is centred around the use of the antibodies of recovered and discharged COVID-19 patients, however, TNG reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) last week cautioned that there was no evidence yet that recovered COVID-19 patients are immune from reinfection.
In a “Scientific Brief” released from its headquarters in Geneva on Saturday and posted on its website, WHO warned against propagating the idea of COVID-19 ‘immunity passport’.
“Some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could serve as the basis for an ‘immunity passport’.
“They have suggested that it could serve as an ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate’ that would enable individuals to travel or return to work, assuming they are protected against re-infection.
“There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.
“The development of immunity to a pathogen through natural infection is a multi-step process that typically takes place over one to two weeks,’’ WHO said.
Governor openly flouts state’s ban on large gathering
Despite reeling out unambiguous scientific approach to producing an effective vaccine, TNG observed with concern the thousands of people gathered in clusters (with obvious disrespect to the social distancing rule) in anticipation of the governor’s address in the video.
TNG reports that Ayade like his colleague governors had placed a ban on mass gatherings of people including placing a ban on religious and social gatherings. TNG recalls that the governor also recently ordered the arrest of some religious leaders who held secret services in the state after the ban was imposed. While it is true that Cross River is yet to record any COVID-19 case, however the gross disrespect for ban on public gatherings and the global social distancing rule by the governor himself might lead to severe and easy spread of the deadly virus in the coming days if adequate preventive measures outside the use of face masks are not put in place.
TNG reports that the governor while addressing residents of the state earlier this month said social distancing was not needed as long as the mask was on.
“I’m a professor of science and I know how this virus moves; I know its etiology, I know it transmissibility, I know its antigenicity; because I do, I know that once you put on this mask, you have already been protected.
“You don’t need social distancing when you are properly protected because your mucal glands that secretes the mucus and the musins already forms a network of coats to attack the virus,” Ayade announced to a cheering audience.
TNG recalls that the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu recently said the deadly virus will in a matter of time spread to all the 36 states in Nigeria.
“The virus will grow to every state in Nigeria, there is no reason why it won’t – it is a respiratory virus,” Ihekweazu said recently on a monitored television programme.
TNG reports that as at 11:20pm, Monday, 27th April – 1337 confirmed cases of #COVID19 was reported in Nigeria with 255 discharged and 40 deaths. The virus which is now in its communal infection stage has successfully penetrated 33 out of the 36 states including FCT, Abuja.
reports that the three standing states are Cross River, Kogi and Yobe States. However only time can tell how long these states will continue to be COVID-19 free.