Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) has assured the nation that the seven patients who contracted Coronavirus are responding well to treatment. One thing is for sure; the virus has captured the public’s attention. Sanitizers are to be found everywhere; in shops, taxis and even some motorcycle taxi operators have some for their passengers. However, some people have taken protection to a comical level; a whole family “armed” against the virus with surgical masks and rubber gloves is the most ridiculous thing to witness. Health experts have already pointed out that unless someone is working with contaminated people or is showing suspicious symptoms, there is no need for the masks because the virus is not airborne but is transmitted via droplets. Those are equipment that should be reserved for medical workers who need them most. The safest tool is constantly washing hands. Ultimately, the best way to counter the virus is to follow guidelines from medical experts, not rumour mills on social media which are only good at creating panic. COVID-19 is here with us and will remain so unless it is fought from an informed position and information is the easiest thing to find, just apply it effectively.
