When COVID-19 hit the world, despite dealing with a novel virus that no one knew much about, certain people, organisations and countries stepped up to the plate and began the work of saving the world from succumbing to the virus.
The Neusroom 100 project, embarked on by ID Africa, was created as a celebration of hope, and an acknowledgement of the resilience of humanity to weather any storm and survive. The project, which unveiled its list on Friday, July 3, 2020, aimed at celebrating the individuals, organisations, businesses, countries and things who are toiling tirelessly to bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and restore the world back to normal.
Dr Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central, was the front line doctor who raised the alarm about the devastating effect of the virus. His warning helped the world respond swiftly to COVID-19. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before he contacted the disease and passed away on February 7, leaving behind his wife and son. The list honours him for his timely warning and his efforts to help reduce the damage of the virus.
Medical experts who made the list include Dr Ola Orekunrin-Brown, CEO of Naija Flying Doctors; West Africa’s first air ambulance service, who has helped Nigeria increase its testing capacity by setting up walk-in and drive-in testing centres various states across Nigeria including Zamfara, Ogun and Lagos. Professor Adrian Hill, Director of Jenner Institute at Oxford University, UK, is leading the UK’s research to develop a vaccine for the virus. With the progress made, there is optimism that his team will be among the first set to find a cure to the COVID-19 virus.
More medical practitioners like Dr Anthony Fausi, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease; Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC); Dr Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent of CNN; Xuefeng Yu, Chairman and CEO of CanSino Biologics and many more are recognised on this list for their efforts in propagating the tireless work of searching for a cure to the virus and increasing the testing capacity of countries.
Face masks, though small in size has largely contributed to the curbing of the disaster rate of the virus. They have become an essential item in shielding people from the virus and preventing the unhindered spread of the virus, by preventing the uninhibited passing of droplets when a person sneezes, coughs or talks. Hand sanitizers are also honoured on this list as they were very effective in preventing the spread by disinfecting hands to prevent the transmission of the virus.
Respirators, IR thermometers and personal protective equipment (PPE) wears are also recognised, as they have protected medical personnel who are fighting tirelessly to maintain the virus, find a vaccine and help those who are already infected make full recoveries.
Organisations like Coca-Cola, ViacomCBS, Oxford University, Pfizer, Can Sino Biologics, Mastercard, John Hopkins University, MTN and many more also made the list for their contributions and active efforts to help the medical community and humanity fight the pandemic. Here is the full Neusroom 100 list.
