COVID-19: JAMB hosts virtual colloquium on appropriate measures against coronavirus

As part of its contributions to the ongoing efforts aimed at combatting the ravaging COVID-19 Pandemic, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), in collaboration with the Nigerian Defence Academy and PREMIUM TIMES, would be hosting a virtual colloquium on Tuesday, August 11, 2020.

JAMB says the colloquium became necessary following the preponderance of divergent opinions from professionals on some of the pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical measures being adopted by relevant authorities to curb the spread of the virus.

These arguments have been ventilated in almost equal and convincing measures by several individuals and agencies to the extent that the populace is becoming increasingly confused and concerned as to whether these measures are life-saving or life-threatening.

For example, disinfectant booths whereby chemicals are sprayed on human skin each time one passes through these booths have become a common sight in public buildings.

Organisers noted that as much as the use of body disinfectant booths and tunnels have been canvassed by several agencies, there have been vociferous arguments against their deployment by other individuals and bodies.

In the same vein, some professionals have also argued that hand washing with soap alone is not completely effective without the additional use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, while some experts have argued that one can serve in place of the other.

Meanwhile, resource persons at the JAMB colloquium would be interrogating pertinent issues ranging from the effect of too much sanitising chemicals on the hand more so that we are advised to undertake frequent hand sanitisation to the effect of face/nose masks on our breathing especially for those with respiratory issues or those who are advanced in age, among others.

Some of these contentious issues and many more that would be ventilated and interrogated at the colloquium would help to broaden our knowledge while imparting useful advice that would equip individuals with relevant skills to navigate the new normal.

Expected at the virtual colloquium, according to JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, are the representatives of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19; the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI); and the Director-General, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).

Other speakers lined up for the colloquium are the Deputy Managing Director and Professor of Chemistry, Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Consultancy Services and the Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) among other eminent scholars from the academia.