In a bid to sharpen the skills of journalists in the reportage of COVID-19 pandemic and also provide accurate information that could help reduce the spread of the virus, the International Society of Media in Public Health, ISMPH and CHESTRAD Global have concluded arrangement to hold a webinar for the media professionals in Abuja.
Scheduled for August 12, the webinar comes up between 3pm and 4.30pm with the National Coordinator of Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu and President of CHESTRAD Global, Dr. Lola Dare as lead speakers.
The organisers, in a statement signed by the ISMPH Programs Director, Solomon Dogo stated that the Director General of National Orientation Agency, NOA, Dr. Garba Abari and other top media executives would present papers at the event.
Dogo added that the Executive Director of International Society of Media in Public Health, Mrs. Moji Makanjuola will moderate the session.
According to the statement, ISMPH consists of a hub of health journalists with the aim to mainstream the media as a potent tool to accelerate health care information and delivery in Nigeria.
“Nigeria with its huge population has had to contend with the challenge of fake news and misinformation about COVID-19 pandemic which are often spread through the social media and sadly consumed by a large segment of the society even as the populace are desperate for answers to some unclear issues about the pandemic,” it stated.
COVID-19 disease, a contagious pneumonia-like infection, has infected over nine million people — half of whom have recovered — and killed about half a million.
Nigeria, as at the weekend has recorded 45, 244 cases of the infection and 930 deaths while 32, 430 patients have recovered.
The pandemic has again pushed the federal government to extend the nationwide eased lockdown by another four weeks.
