There are two sides to a coin, also a two way to looking at every situation, either bad or good, every event has its pros and cons, the same is with the Coronavirus, COVID-19 outbreak.
Even though it has affected so many sectors and activities and cost many countries lots of money, time and energy to manage, there are Good Things About COVID-19.
In Nigeria for instance, the Lagos state government said it spends between forty to fifty thousand naira on testing each COVID-19 patient bringing the total amount of the money spent so far to eight hundred million naira.
According to the Lagos state Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, the state had conducted 16,000 COVID-19 tests.
Outside the shores of Nigeria, Manchester United’s net debt has increased to 429.1 million pounds, no thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Those two instances are just a few out of the so many states, countries, events, activities and sectors that the pandemic has delved a heavy blow on.
It has resulted in job losses, loss of loved ones and there is the likelihood that the Nigerian economy would fall back into recession given the economic impact of the pandemic.
However, there is the need to look beyond the negativity and look into the good things about the pandemic.
Good Things About COVID-19
1.Family Matters Over Other Things: One of the lessons and good thing to consider amid the pandemic is the fact that family plays an important role in the life of every individual and it shows that one of the things that will always be there when every other thing seems far away is the family.
In many parts of the world, lockdown order has been declared as a mean of putting an end to the further spread of the virus, therefore leaving many people with no option than to stay at home, except for people who are frontline workers.
Kudos, to Health workers, waste management workers, officials of the electricity and water agencies, journalists, security personnel among other essential workers who have been playing the frontline role of ensuring that the pandemic is well managed.
At a time like this when, different organizations, churches, mosques, relaxation centres, cinemas, schools and other public institutions are shut, many people are left with no option than to be with their family.
Automatically, the pandemic affords those who are always busy the opportunity to spend quality times with their family, to interact and integrate the more and this has shown that family ranks above every other thing.
2. Health Is Wealth: The phrase Health is Wealth has been in existence for many decades but pandemic like this is a better reminder of what it means to be healthy.
It will also allow some people who always feel unfulfilled about life to appreciate their health and the freedom they enjoy every day.
The Coronavirus pandemic has brought about the word Social distancing which health experts suggested as a way to stay safe from contracting the deadly virus, therefore, making it difficult for people to relate and socialise as they used to, given the fact that health comes before any other thing.
For many months and still counting, people cannot visit Cinemas or attend parties because of how the virus spreads from one person to another by coming in contact with someone who has been infected by the virus.
Before now, many Nigerians have expressed concerns about the state of the health facilities in the country and hope this pandemic will be a blessing in disguise to the health sector in the country.
It is commendable to know about the different measures put in place by the Ogun and Lagos state governments respectively to encourage health workers in their states as they work round the clock to attend to COVID-19 patients.
Hopefully, this pandemic will spur the federal and state governments to see the need to invest in the health sector and also look into funding researchers and place a premium on the welfare of health workers in the country.
3. Humanity Outshines Religion or Tribe: Before the Coronavirus pandemic, many people have always hold unto the belief that their religion is superior to others forgetting that humanity is way beyond Nationality, tribe or religion.
The pandemic does not spread based on Nationality, language or gender, it ravaged both developed and developing nations across the world with no regard for religious belief.
There is news about how Muslim, Christian and even unbelievers got infected by the virus, it has killed as little as a six-month baby, aged, young and even people of timber and calibre.
This same pandemic stopped Christians from gathering to celebrate Easter as it also makes it impossible for Muslim to gather for worship in the mosque during the 2020 Ramadan and Eid-Fitr prayers as religious leaders advised their followers to shun public gathering and pray in their homes to stop the spread of the virus.
I hope someday, people shall look back and remember how this pandemic defiled religious belief, tribe, ethnicity and gender to bring the world to a standstill and make everyone see the need to respect humanity above any other thing that can cause hatred, violence among other factors that have divided people long before now.
As we continue to look forward to having a vaccine that will cure the virus, it is important to hold onto these three lessons and observe every precautionary measure that has been suggested by health officials to ensure that we stop the virus.
It is also imperative to always remember the slogan of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, take responsibility.
