Former Special Assistant to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Media and Publicity, Dr Doyin Okupe, has revealed the reason for high COVID-19 death rate among wealthy Nigerians.
Okupe, a medical doctor by training, who also served as Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, said regular exposure to sunlight by the poor has become their saving grace from the dreaded virus.
He made this known in a string of posts on his Twitter’s handle, @doyinokupe, late on Wednesday.
In the tweets titled ‘Why COVID-19 Spares The Poor’, Okupe, who recently got treated of the virus alongside his wife, said Vitamin D sourced from sunlight can repel the virus in many people.
READ ALSO 2020: Kyari, Ajimobi, Nda-Isaiah… prominent Nigerians who lost COVID-19 battle
The tweets read: “Have you been wondering why ordinary folks seem to be less affected by #COVID19?
“Whenever my drivers, househelps & security come back from their leave at home, I always asked them the state of things in their villages.
” Up till today in the last 1year, none has come back with any news of deaths or serious illnesses requiring hospitalization in their homes or surroundings.
“I visited the SABO market in Sagamu and the tomato market at toll gate in Ogere. I questioned many traders if any stall or store owners have been missing, or did not come to the market or have actually died. Responses were always negative.
” So clearly the prevalence of noticeable infection with COVID-19 is less among the lower class and fatalities appear to be higher among the upper class.
“However, It is necessary to make some adjustment for the fact that deaths among the elite class readily get media attention than those of regular folks.
“Melinda Gates’ prediction failed woefully because there was no way she could have foreseen this demographic prevalence factor in the spread of #COVID19.
“The overall infectivity and fatalities in Africa is disproportionately much lower than the rest of the World!!!
” WHAT IS THE MAGIC HERE..? Simply put, the magic is SUNLIGHT.
“People who are daily exposed to sunlight are able to convert some chemicals in their skins to vitamin D, especially D3.
“Scientists have incontrovertible evidence that Vitamin D seriously boost the human immunity and actually have capacity to prevent respiratory and lung diseases.
“In the case of #Covid19, Vitamin D3 can prevent infection in some people and in others who still get infected, it decreases the severity of the infection and recovery rate is far better.
“Recently a petition signed by 120 physicians spread across the globe, (I have a copy) has been sent to world leaders and governments to treat vitamin D deficiency common in europe and Americas, who have effective sunlight for just a few months in a year and hence have large numbers of the populace suffering from vitamins deficiency leading to high rates of susceptibility to COVID-19 infections and deaths.
“Many of us elites in Africa are also vitamin D deficient and this makes us ready targets for COVID-19 infections also. This is because we are hardly in the sun all year round.
“Yet a 30mins lounge daily in the bright sunlight gives one about 20,000 iu of vitamin D in our blood. This figure is much much more higher than our daily requirement of which is about 4000 iu of vitamin D.
“This is why young people, students, hawkers, traders and many who toil daily under the Sun have very high immunity against COVID-19.
“So my dear elders, VIPs and Ogas please walk leisurely or lounge in the sun for 20 to 30mins daily, and with your face masks always on on public and observing normal covid protocols.”
PlatinumPost reports that COVID-19 has claimed hundreds of prominent Nigerians since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country in the first quarter of last year.
The list of COVID-19 victims include former Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, former Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, Publisher of Leadership Newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah, among others.
Below are some of the Okupe’s tweets.
WHY COVID 19 SPARES THE POOR.
Have you been wondering why ordinary folks seem to be less affected by #COVID19?
— Doyin (@doyinokupe) January 13, 2021
 
Whenever my drivers, househelps & security come back from their leave at home, I always asked them the state of things in their villages.
— Doyin (@doyinokupe) January 13, 2021
WHAT IS THE MAGIC HERE..?
Simply put, the magic is SUNLIGHT.
People who are daily exposed to sunlight are able to convert some chemicals in their skins to vitamin D, especially D3.
— Doyin (@doyinokupe) January 13, 2021
