Kenyans are now curing the slightest cold, coughs and sneezes thanks to coronavirus
Last night I tripped and stepped on a rusted nail forcing me to leapfrog to my local chemist that’s 10 minutes away. Most times at the chemist I usually find no one, or if there are people they are usually no more than two at a time. An additional one person could from time to time find me still within the chemist.
Last night it was a different story. I found seven people waiting to be served, so I sat at the couch to patiently wait for my turn, the pain notwithstanding. Six were served and walked out giving hopes that I was just about to be next, only for four people to walk in and join the queue. By that time I had gotten a chance to explain to the Pharmacist what’s wrong with me, but he didn’t consider it urgent. The new queue of five people reduced to two only for two more to walk in – and this process continued for about an hour. That’s not what I found interesting.
What I found interesting was how almost everyone who walked into the chemist wanted to cure a cold, a cough or a sneeze. “Is there an outbreak of some kind of flu I don’t know about? I hope it is not coronavirus”.
After the hour the Pharmacist finally got a window to serve me. He dressed my wound then I walked out the chemist. Walking slowly from the Chemist I remembered to call Kachwanya who among other things told me of how there seem to be an outbreak of a different kind of flue in Nairobi that everyone seem to be treating. That’s when it dawned on me.
“I don’t think there is an outbreak of a different flu. It is ether corona or corona related. Corona related because usually people ignore treating minor flus. A throat itch here, a sneeze there are never a thing to bother a Kenyan. Running noses are usually treated with purchase of handkerchiefs. But now with corona scare taking a toll on Kenyans, any slight sneeze makes them to run to the chemist”, I told him. He agreed.
I am not sure if the rush to cure common cold is the right thing to do. According to research done by scientists in Australia, the mechanism by which coronavirus survivors fight the infection is the same mechanism used by the body to fight common flu. Remarkably, it is not just the same immune chemicals that are responsible, but also the timing of their release is similar. This should suggest that if you let your body fight the common flu, you shall have the immune chemicals all over your body such that if coronavirus attacks you a few days after, then your body shall have been ready to fight the virus. And that’s why when early February my entire house was attacked by a cold, I made a decision of not buying any drugs for anyone. Our immune systems fought the cold all by itself and now I believe we have a slightly stronger immunity that can help us win the fight against the virus in case it finds its way into the house.
Not only has corona craze forced Kenyans to be extremely sensitive about coughs and sneezes, they have also decided to buy all vitamin c supplements from all chemists across the country, believing that vitamin c would boost their immunity. Washing of hands, general cleanliness, and spending a lot more time indoors have also become part of the daily norms for most Kenyans.
