A Nigerian Covid-19 patient from Niger State in northern Nigeria revealed that no drug was administered on him and many others throughout their stay at the isolation center but that they were only given food.
It was also revealed that despite the fact that they tested positive for COVID-19, they were neither treated nor re-tested before being discharged.
When the patient was picked up from Zumba in Shiroro local government area, he hoped he would be treated and given drugs throughout his stay at the center.
There are plenty of reports of Covid-19 patients who were shocked to realise that isolation centers are not treatment centers but a place to separate people from the public to curb the spread of the disease.
He expressed his shock thus: “I expected that I will undergo some treatment, but apart from food, nothing was given to me in the form of treatment. They did not give me a single drug. They only give us food every day that is all. No single drug, not even paracetamol was given to me throughout the 14 days.”
He claimed his other family members – mother and other relations, who were also picked up and quarantined with him, were also treated ‘inhumanely’.
The anonymous revelator disclosed they were ‘roughly discharged’ and asked to find their way home – no transportation was provided for them.
He revealed they trekked from the isolation center at the back of the police Police Secondary School to a major road where they trekked further to Dusten Kuran Gwari before they were assisted (giving a ride) to Sabon Gari junction.
“It was at Sabon Gari that a commercial vehicle carried us to Zumba before we borrowed money from our people to pay the driver,” he said
According to the World Health Organisation website link (https://www.afro.who.int/news/life-quarantine-after-detecting-nigerias-first-covid-19-case), a Covid-19 patient whose name was not disclosed for security and respect of privacy stated his experience like this: “By my fifth day in, I learned to dispel my boredom and persistent anxiety with movies and books. I’m a fitness enthusiast and as difficult as it was for me to muster the mental energy to workout, whenever I did eventually work out, it lifted my mood significantly and left me feeling healthier.
We were comfortable in quarantine: steady power supply, spacious rooms, healthy frequent meals surely made it liveable. It’s also important to anticipate boredom, low moods, maybe even depression. Having several means of entertainment would remedy these to an extent. The power of a good support system cannot be overemphasized, but overall maintaining a positive outlook as much as possible is imperative to getting through any quarantine period.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Center For Disease Control (CDC) in every country say isolation center staff may only ensure daily monitoring visits of patients to note gaps.
Also, health workers may take necessary corrective actions and preventive actions.
Furthermore, quarantined persons need to be discharged at the end of the minimum quarantine
period of 14 days, and upon discharge from quarantine, a letter will be issued to the person confirming that they have concluded the quarantine period. They are also expected to make their own arrangements for transportation from the facility to their respective homes.
No drug or vaccination has been approved to treat Covid-19 yet, hence self-isolation is primarily to curb spread and help the patient recover.
Andrew M. Cuomo, New York governor, in the United States of America (USA) also affirmed isolation centers are not meant to house people needing treatment or medical attention but designed for people who test positive for the coronavirus or who have been exposed.
