Why China Sent Second-hand Corona Virus to Africa?

“Now that China had finished eating and all nations are busy washing hands, why is your water not running from Corona virus? The WHO said we should wash our hands in a running water.” She giggles.

I raise my head. “My God! Catherine? At last we are all home.”

“Happy dipping hands inside water.” Catherine greets, six feet apart from where I stoop over a bucket of detergent and water, washing my hands. In Yoruba parlance, the greeting is a cultural way of wishing a woman or a family who had just welcomed a baby, “happy everyday baby laundry things.”

“Thank you. My water is standby, with detergent bubble eyes watching any trespassing corona virus.”

We both laugh.

“China is giving us compulsory holiday, and ability to work from home. For me personally, I’ve been clinical about my life now. Gone were those days I washed my hands only when I wanted to eat.” She says.

“Me too. I have experimented with different sleeping positions. I now understand what it means to lock down my dog at home. I’m tired of my life. Oh, God, I just hope the virus will go back to its birthplace so each family, economy, country, can bubble together as one again.”

“Its birthplace? Hmmm…. But why?” She asks.

“Among all good gifts, is this what China is offering the world? I loathe my own life as a private teacher. This pandemic has proved that private school teachers don’t really have job in Nigeria. We are not paid, and we won’t be paid as long as schools remain closed. I pity my colleagues who are family men, how will they survive this season? Even with the stipends that ends at the half of the month and the other half will see us turn beggars. Kids don’t know there is no food at home. They must eat.” I reply.

“It’s a pity that African mentality always sees every crisis as opportunity to make money, while Europe and America see every crisis as a means to entrepreneurship. That is the difference. That is why some hand sanitizer sellers in Nigeria have contracted corona virus after inflating the prices of hand sanitizers by 100 percent to make unreasonable gains. That’s why Corona virus has remained a lucrative business in Nigeria, the same way, opportunists are profiting from the unending Boko Harams war. The same opportunist viruses sabotaging the effort of frontline foot soldiers and watch them die in the hands of Boko Haram are at it again. The frontline medical doctors are risking their lives to expel the virus while some saboteurs are busy recalling it for profit.” She opines.

“Hmmm, you are right. In addition, you know that every nation is giving out palliatives to rescue its citizens but my country hoarded its palliatives until citizens started looting warehouses across the country. You heard about it?”

Catherine grins. “Yea, I did. In UK where I just returned, and in the US, Corona virus patients are mute, and can hardly breathe, but in Nigeria here, I watch Corona virus patients on the TV protesting on the streets for unfair treatment. They protest not getting government palliatives. In the Northern Nigeria, one Isolation Centre was completely deserted because Covid-19 patients went home for Salah celebration, and they hope to return after Salah. Can you see that?”

“I think China sent second-hand Corona virus to Africa and exported high quality ones to Europe and America” I affirm, “knowing that those continents have sophisticated equipment to manage the pandemic. They know their African friends may not survive. Hahahaha. You know Africa likes second hand things and America will not take that nonsense from China. So China sent original Corona virus to Europe and America. Also, China sent the virus to slow down these front runner continents so that some hardworking Asian and African nations can catch up. And truly, Madagascar proves her mettle. The first African country to look inward to its own resources and produce herbs, but, white people don’t drink herbs, African herbs for that matter. They want something that can be scientifically proved. They want vaccines that you can subject to laboratory.” I pause. “May be that is why WHO is yet to recognize Madagascar’s herbs.”

“I know this too shall pass?” Catherine says as she prepares to leave. “When this pandemic is over, and the world returns to normal, I wish all nations would sit China down and ask her how she came about such smart virus that puts the medical world in dilemma and makes hardworking medical researchers look stupid to the honorable field of medicine. ” She says as she walks away.