Abstract

The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic has caused countless governmental and societal challenges around the world. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has been exposed in recent years to a series of epidemics including Ebola and Lassa fever. In this paper, we document our perception of the national response to COVID-19 in Nigeria. The response to the pandemic is with a healthcare system that has changed as a result of previous infectious disease outbreaks but in the context of scarce resources typical of many low-middle income countries. We make recommendations regarding what measures should be in place for future epidemics.

Highlights

  • On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic caused by Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).[1]

  • The Nigerian government responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by various measures affecting the population and the creation of necessary national teams to provide structure and leadership

  • These teams interfaced with the country to discuss the plan for treatment and control of the pandemic in Nigeria

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Summary

Introduction

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic caused by Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).[1]. The National Emergency Outbreak Committee (EOC) was established and developed the Incident Action Plan (IAP) on March 27, 2020 with eight pillars – Epidemiology and Surveillance, Laboratory, Point of Entry (POE), Infection Prevention and Control, Case Management, Risk Communication, Logistics, and Coordination. Within 2 months, NCDC developed several guidelines and protocols, including NCDC Self-Isolation Guideline for COVID-19, Case Definition for Coronavirus, PPE Recommendations During Health Care Delivery, National COVID-19 Case Management Guide NCDC, Guide for Businesses for COVID-19, Social Distancing Guide for COVID-19, Infection Prevention and Control Guideline for COVID-19, Rational Use of Personal Protective Equipment in the Care of COVID-19 Cases, Management of Dead Bodies, Advisory on Use of Face Masks, and COVID-19 Testing Strategy.[11] Meetings were held daily by the EOC and meetings were held in individual states to curtail the outbreak.

Results
Conclusion

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