US Consul General, Claire Pierangelo, on Wednesday launched the COVID-19 messages of Hope intervention project in Nigeria in a bid to stop the spread of the disease.
Pierangelo launched the project in Lagos, in collaboration with Caritas Nigeria and other religious and community leaders.
She said the project presents a typical opportunity to accelerate the pandemic risk control through the influence of faith-based and community leaders.
“The influence of religious and community leaders throughout the country cannot be overstated and we need this to communicate and bring an end to the pandemic in Nigeria, ” she said.
According to her, the project is part of the US government’s support to Nigeria’s COVID-19 response.
She said that the US Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) had started engaging religious leaders throughout the country to disseminate contextualised messages that speak to the people .
Pierangelo said that the messages would focus on the up-take of preventative, protective and behavior change which includes face masks, physical medication and most importantly vaccination .
“We could do all the prescribed medications, but until everyone is medically safe, we are not going to be successful in the fight against the virus.
“So, the messages of hope need to go within your communities and worship places to support the Nigeria’s COVID-19 eradication effort which requires maximum support from everyone, ” she said.
The consul general said the US government recognises the spiritual role of the religious leaders and expects them to encourage people to be hopeful in the midst of the serious global pandemic .
Pierangelo said the spiritual guidance of faith leaders was critically important to solving the pandemic in Nigeria, as it is really difficult for people to self distance, not to gather or celebrate to events and successes of life together .
She said that the US CDC would continue to work with real important partners as the Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC), the Catholic Caritas foundation, the Nigerian Interfaith Action Association (NIFAA) and the Presidential Task Force (PTF) to fight the pandemic.
Pierangelo said that following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria on Feb. 27, 2020, the US CDC has had important partnership and a close and productive relationship with Nigeria and its medical team over the past one year .
“In response to the Coronavirus, we conducted logical COVID-19 survey, we trained over 200,000 personnel, we installed technologies for virtual trainings, provided several equipment, among other control efforts, ” she said.
In her opening remarks, Dr Bolu Omotayo, Acting Country Director, CDC said the project is aimed at combining science and faith to fight the COVID-19 pandemic .
Omotayo urged Nigerians not to relax in adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols as the virus was still very much actively around.
She said that a survey released by the NCDC last week indicated that in Lagos for example, one in five people have had or are having the COVID-19.
According to her, the outcome of the survey indicated that a high number of people, especially people in the younger generation categories, have had the virus but may not have shown symptoms .