Coronavirus is Zoonotic, meaning the virus is normally transmitted between animals and people. The SARS-coV-2 is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. It was reported to the World Health organization (WHO) on the 31st of December, 2019 in Wuhan, China.
The spread of COVID-19 across several continents has put the whole world in disarray. Nigeria recorded her first case on February 27, 2020, through an Italian traveler who came into the country for a business visit, and the United Kingdom had only 16 cases then too.
A month later the UK has recorded a total of 14,543 cases while Nigeria has only recorded 70 confirmed cases as reported by the Nigerian Center for Sisease Control. As of April 7 the UK had recorded a total of 132,547 cases while the same day, Nigeria has a total of 254 confirmed cases. Nigeria has managed the spread of coronavirus in the country very well and the country through the collective efforts of stakeholders, NCDC, Presidential taskforce on COVID-19 and the general public has helped to limit the spread of local transmission of the virus amongst its population with majority of those tested positive to the virus being people with travel history to countries with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and a few parentage of people who had no travel history but contacted the disease via close contact with people who tested positive to the virus.
Though, local transmission of the virus is now on the increase which calls for proactive measures from both the government and the citizen to stop the spread of the virus. On the 28 of February 2020, a multi-sectoral emergency operations centre (EOC) was activated at level 3, the highest emergency response level in Nigeria. This is led by the NCDC.
In terms of government’s preparedness and efforts to address the danger and threats of this pandemic, as at March 19, 2020 Nigeria only has three COVID-19 diagnostic centers with one each in Lagos, Abuja and Edo state which are NCDC National reference laboratory, Irrua specialist Teaching hospital, Edo state, Lagos university teaching Hospital, Lagos state. As at 11th of April several test centers has been added to the already existing 3 to 11 and 3 awaiting completion across the length and breadth of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to strengthen government’s efforts in curtailing the spread and treatment of the virus.
As at April 3rd of April, The government in its efforts to do hasten up testing centre so as to be able to discover cases as soon as possible added another 3 testing centre to the already existing 6 centers with the addition of a testing centre in Lagos, Ebonyi and Abuja.
Nigeria might not be out of the woods yet, as the director General of the NCDC states that “it is too early to conclude that our response is better than that of most countries”. Government on it part has done majority of the things required by government to do to combat the spread of this virus within the country but majority of the problem and apparatus which could aid a coronavirus pandemic explosion in Nigeria lies with the people. The Nigerian people need to take to medical advice, maintain social distancing, maintain good hygiene process and as well obey governmental policies aimed at curtailing the spread of the virus. The government directive to issue a lock down in some states by the respective state governors of such states and the federal government decision to declare a lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun state, is to flatten the coronavirus spread curve.
As at 27th of March out of the 36 states in Nigeria, it was only 9 states including the FCT that has confirmed Coronavirus case. The total number of states with confirmed cases has doubled to 19 states as at 11th of April, 2020, while the number of states affected keep on increasing and more states are expected to be affected due to the close proximity of states to another states. Thus, states governments should not be in haste to relax the lockdown in their respective states until it is totally safe to do so, because this decision by some states government could trigger a COVID-19 case explosion in Nigeria which will overwhelm our health system.
It is more worrisome that citizens are not taking responsibilities that they ought to in order to support governments efforts in flattening the curve of the spread of coronavirus by taking responsibility by obeying the lockdown and adopting the social distancing rule and personal hygiene.
However, it might be hard for some sets of citizens which depend on daily income to survive to stay indoor without anything to live on but it is imperative one stay safe so as to put others life at safety too. Now that local transmission of the virus is on the increase, Nigeria might be heading into some difficult and testing times amid the coronavirus pandemic as the number of cases will definitely increase in the coming weeks as a result of structural factors which will make enforcement of the lockdown difficult for the citizens of which will lead to easy spread of the virus amongst the people. Increase in number of confirmed cases might lead to increase in the fatality rate recorded by Nigeria, this is because the health workers and the porous health system Nigeria has will be over starched and this will reduce the quality of care being given to individual patients which will lead to increase in mortality rate.
On the part of the government, government has tried with provisions of essential health facilities with some palliatives given to the people to alleviate their suffering during the lockdown but the majority of the onus in flattening the curve of the spread of the coronavirus lies on the hands to the citizens by taking responsibility. It is only when citizens take responsibilities that government efforts can be fruitful and we all as a nation state can beat the pandemic, everyone must be all and doing to stop the spread of the virus.
Written: SHOKOYA OLAKUNLE ADEBOYE is a sociologist and a social researcher with bias in developmental studies, medical sociology and public policy.
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Twitter: Shokoyaolakunle
