When the nonsense started, my blood pressure rose. It was like I shouldn’t go out. I kept all my children indoors, no playing with anybody. If baby went out, it met with a big disapproval from me.
Then something happened: one of her family members had a medical issue relating to childbirth. It became a must for her to be with the lady in hospital. I broke sweat. Going to hospital at a time like this! But it was impossible to stop her from attending to her sibling.
Covid 19 brought so much fear, not only to me, but so many of us. All we monitored everyday was how many people got infected or died in Lagos, Abuja, Oyo, Anambra, etc. At a stage, I began to keep the records in my diary. Such stupidity! Not long after, Nigerians began to joke with the figures between Lagos and Kano, calling it Covid 19 league table.
Somehow, it occurred to me that whatever you give attention to in your mind enlarges. Faith comes by hearing, so also is fear. When I devote my precious time to hearing negative news of infections and deaths in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Spain, Italy, US, Brazil, etc what do I expect to gain if not fear and faithlessness?
At that level, I stopped monitoring the covidious news. I deliberately picked the news I like from newspapers online. I stay tuned to messages of Pastor John Hagee everyday! I devoted my time to the manuscripts of new books I was working on. And gradually, sanity returned to me. I also noticed that so many people are losing interest in these news of infections and deaths. So many of my friends have stopped monitoring the NCDC stuff every evening. Sanity is returning.
All we can tell our people now is to be vigilant. The disease is real but so also is the power of God to save. Some people were said to have died because the regular hospitals would not admit or treat sick people even when it has nothing to do with Covid 19.
I heard a 54 year old pastor died three days ago of fever because the hospital he used thought he was having Corona and referred him to Isolation centre. Autopsy just showed that he had typhoid, not Corona. Last week, a 68 years old Alhaji I knew very well, down with fever, was rejected in a hospital and referred to an Isolation centre. The old man died in the process. Now, every fever is interpreted as Covid 19! So sad.
This is a wrong time to be sick! I pray that in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we focus on better things, God will vitiate the power of Covid 19 in this land. Please give your thoughts to better things. Stop thinking Covid 19. God has broken the power of coffin over you in Jesus name.
