COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA
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COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria
COVID-19 is one of the pandemics that have caused a major threat and health crisis in different parts of Nigeria. The country recorded the first case on 27 February 2020 after an Italian citizen in Lagos tested positive for coronavirus. Following the occurrence, the government embarked on efforts to contain the virus, such as travel restrictions, wearing masks, and even closure of public meeting places. In addition, the federal government of Nigeria assured its citizens about the country's readiness to strengthen surveillance along the airports to prevent the spread of the virus (Senjam, 2020, p. 1367). However, following an occurrence of 1.39 million cases of coronavirus and 79,382 deaths on a global perspective, the world continues to suffer from the far-reaching impact of the coronavirus pandemic. While most developing nations have recorded few cases of COVID-19, the weak capacity of health systems in Nigeria has resulted in high mortality and morbidity rates.
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that has caused devastation across Nigeria and other parts of the world. The symptoms of the illness include shortness of breath, breathing difficulties, headache, fever, tiredness, and diarrhea. Despite the preventive measures of controlling the spread of coronavirus, such as washing hands, sanitizing, and maintaining social distance, the virus's infection and mortality rate are rising across Nigeria and other parts of the world. According to Senjam (2020, p. 1364), the country's health system is overwhelmed by the rise of COVID-19 cases. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economic and social activities in Nigeria and other parts of the world. In addition, the poor social welfare system has caused suffering among a large number of citizens.
Research findings indicate that COVID-19 has resulted in adverse impacts across Nigeria. The index case of coronavirus started in the country after an Italian national flew to Lagos from Italy. For that reason, the Nigerian government has made significant efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus within the country (Dan-Nwafor et al., 2020, p. 156). Some of the efforts include banning social gatherings and shutdown of Ogun, Abuja, and Lagos states as epicenters of the virus. Besides, Nigeria has adopted screening at border entries, self-isolation, and social distancing. Nevertheless, the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the entire world, caused panic globally, and disrupted the health sector due to the heightened prevalence and incidence of the illness.
Prevalence of COVID-19 in Nigeria
Nigeria is among the top five countries with the highest numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19, especially in the developing world. Just as aforementioned, the first case of infection was confirmed in Lagos from Italy as one of the most populous states in the country. As a result of the increased number of confirmed cases, the state became an epicenter of COVID-19 infections. In response to the outbreak, Lagos established various isolation and treatment centers. Most of the reported cases range from mild to moderate since the emergence of the outbreaks. However, the government realized the need to assess risk factors to determine the illness's progression. Importantly, policymakers identify the various groups at risk to facilitate the early management of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a major health concern across different states of Nigeria. Notably, inadequate knowledge of the illness and negative perceptions have resulted in its high prevalence rates. Therefore, one of the key objectives and guidance is subverting the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance the well-being of the citizens. According to the infection rate, all citizens have an equal chance of infection based on similar age-specificity fatality rates (Kalu, 2020, p. 556). However, elderly individuals are disproportionally affected by the illness. Therefore, an application of epidemiological parameters in a country is likely to influence overall global mortality rates. Although most of the population in Nigeria is young, they are equally crowded.
The youths in Nigeria are less likely to get infected, unlike the case of elderly individuals. Therefore, the latter is at a disadvantage, contributing to their higher mortality and morbidity rates based on the illness. Therefore, Nigeria faces worse epidemiological odds resulting from higher infection prevalence and an elevated infection fatality risk among the elderly. Urban density, informality, and poverty contribute to the higher infection prevalence of COVID-19 (Oginni et al., 2020, p. 553). Such factors complicate physical distancing, making it difficult to flatten the curve due to preexisting constraints of health capacity. The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in devastating economic and social impacts across the country. Notably, Nigeria is vulnerable to the economic impacts of the illness due to the lack of an effective social security system.
Comorbidities are more prevalent in Nigeria as a developing country than in other developed counterparts. Over the last year, the prevalence and number of cases of COVID-19 have risen in Nigeria. Notably, limited access to healthcare services means that most people lack an opportunity to enhance their well-being, increasing vulnerability. Statistics indicate a higher mortality and morbidity rate distribution in developing countries, with excessive deaths being indicators of higher shares in Nigeria. Researchers have realized unequal distribution of mortality burden severance over an entire period of the outbreak. Following the strike of COVID-19, the federal government realized the need to scale up the existing social protection programs, especially with vulnerable households as major targets.
The severity of the illness evolves as a leading cause of deaths and morbidity in the country. The lack of effective health systems is one of the leading causes of higher mortality and morbidity rates resulting from COVID-19. According to Etteh et al. (2020 p. 100580), Nigeria has registered a sustained increase in COVID-19 cases as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality rates. For an illness that has spread extensively, the distribution of mortality burden is unevenly tilted towards Nigeria as a developing country. Demographic diversity is a dominant factor in that the elderly are more vulnerable to illness. The country is at a higher pandemic stage than its developed counterparts, such as the United States. Daily statistics indicate that Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest number of deaths and COVID-19 infections.
Low transparency and democracy levels correlate to lower case numbers and testing as indicators of underreporting new caseloads. The second wave of coronavirus has resulted in major shifts in the pattern of exposure with increased mortality and morbidity rates among the elderly groups (Achoki et al. 2020, p. 670. Therefore, the actual number of emerging cases could be higher than the current levels of testing in the country. One of the contributing factors to the increased number of cases in Nigeria has been less extensive health systems. Besides, Nigeria is one of the countries with a relatively higher number of elderly groups and international exposure than the more developed countries, such as the United States.
Incidence Rate of COVID-19 pandemic
Nigeria records new cases of COVID-19 infections, especially among the elderly, over the last year. An emergence of contagious mutations poses a new challenge in the country that overburdens the healthcare system. The mutation of coronavirus makes it transmissible, resulting in the emergence of new cases across the country. Such a surge has far-reaching impacts on Nigeria's public health system, which records many new cases across the various states (Abikoye, 2020, p. 58). The increasing hospitalization numbers have increased the burden on the available amenities based on high morbidity rates in the country. In addition, the emergence of new strains of the illness poses new risks, which makes it difficult for the government to contain the virus.
The coronavirus novel is a life-threatening illness that affects the size of the population and the various economic activities across Nigeria. High poverty levels, poor access to healthcare services, and inadequate adoption of modern technology have influenced far-reaching impacts on the country. However, the media ought to shun instilling unnecessary fear regarding the virus to enhance the well-being of the citizens.
According to the Nigerian Center of Disease Control (CDC) statistics, a new variant of coronavirus seems to have emerged following an increase in new cases of the illness. The new variant of the illness contributed to an increased transmission with various forms of genomic consequences. Nigeria, one of the most populous countries, has realized an increase in the ...