COVID-19 Pandemic In Nigeria Research Articles

Socioeconomic Drivers and Risk Factors of Covid-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

Relevance. The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted the need for a comprehensive understanding of its drivers and risk factors, particularly in the socioeconomic dimension. While previous research has primarily focused on biological vectors and mortality rates, less is known about the influence of socioeconomic factors on the spread of the virus. Understanding these factors is crucial for effective policy responses and addressing state-specific peculiarities. Research Objectives. This paper aims to assess the socioeconomic drivers and risk factors of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Specifically, it examines the impact of socioeconomic forces on infection and mortality rates. The study seeks to shed light on the role of geographic distance to epicenters, the business environment, and income inequality in shaping the spread and impact of the virus. Data and Methods. The analysis employs two pooled multivariate regression models using data from 37 sub-national entities (States) in Nigeria. The first model explores the effect of socioeconomic forces on Covid-19 infection rates, while the second model examines their influence on fatality rates. The models are based on comprehensive observations and utilize state-specific data to account for variations across regions. Results. We found that proximity to epicenters is associated with higher infection rates, while areas with weaker business environments and higher inequality are more vulnerable. Income inequality emerges as the sole significant driver of mortality, possibly due to limited access to testing, vaccination, and treatment centers among income-constrained populations. Conclusions. The study emphasizes the importance of considering socioeconomic factors in pandemic response strategies, particularly in the context of Covid-19 in Nigeria. We reveal that geographic proximity to epicenters, business environment strength, and income inequality significantly influence infection rates. Addressing these factors, along with recognizing the impact of income inequality on mortality, can inform targeted policies and interventions for effective pandemic management. Policymakers should consider sub-national characteristics and state-specific peculiarities to tailor responses and mitigate the spread and impact of Covid-19.

Clients' perspectives on the utilization of reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health services in primary health centers during COVID-19 pandemic in 10 States of Nigeria: A cross-sectional study.

Reports from various parts of the world suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may have severe adverse effects on the delivery and uptake of reproductive health, maternal, neonatal, and child health (RMNCH) services. The objective of the study was to explore women's experiences with utilization of RMNCH services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, and to elicit their perceptions on ways to sustain effective service delivery during the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey of 2930 women using primary health care facilities for antenatal, delivery, postnatal, and child care services before and after the onset of the pandemic in 10 States of Nigeria were interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were collected on women's socio-demographic characteristics and pregnancy histories, the services they sought before and after the pandemic, the challenges they faced in accessing the services, their use of alternative sources of health care, and their recommendations on ways to sustain RMNCH service delivery during the pandemic. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, and multivariable logistic regression using SPSS 20.0. All the statistical analyses were two-tailed with a 95% confidence interval, and the p-value was set at 0.05. The logistic regression results showed that women were at least 56% more likely to report that they used family planning, antenatal, and delivery services before the pandemic than after the pandemic started, but 38% less likely to report use of postnatal services. The experience of difficulty accessing RMNCH services was 23% more likely after the pandemic started than before the pandemic. Three categories of recommendations made by the respondents on measures to sustain RMNCH delivery during the pandemic included 1) facility improvement, and staff recruitment and re-training; 2) free and readily accessible PHC services, and 3) the provision of social safety nets including transportation and palliatives. We conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic limited women's access to antenatal, delivery, and childcare services offered in PHCs in Nigeria. Addressing the recommendations and the concerns raised by women will help to sustain the delivery of RMNCH services during the COVID-19 pandemic and future epidemics or health emergencies in Nigeria.

Food insecurity among households during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

Food insecurity among households during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

IMPACT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AWARENESS PROGRAMS ON COVID-19 DYNAMICS: A FRACTIONAL MODELING APPROACH

Public health awareness programs have been a crucial strategy in mitigating the spread of emerging and re-emerging infectious disease outbreaks of public health significance such as COVID-19. This study adopts an Susceptible–Exposed–Infected–Recovered (SEIR) based model to assess the impact of public health awareness programs in mitigating the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed model, which incorporates public health awareness programs, uses ABC fractional operator approach to study and analyze the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2. It is possible to completely understand the dynamics of the model’s features because of the memory effect and hereditary qualities that exist in the fractional version. The fixed point theorem has been used to prove the presence of a unique solution, as well as the stability analysis of the model. The nonlinear least-squares method is used to estimate the parameters of the model based on the daily cumulative cases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria from March 29 to June 12, 2020. Through the use of simulations, the model’s best-suited parameters and the optimal ABC fractional-order parameter [Formula: see text] may be determined and optimized. The suggested model is proved to understand the virus’s dynamical behavior better than the integer-order version. In addition, numerous numerical simulations are run using an efficient numerical approach to provide further insight into the model’s features.

The Impact of Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria: A Review

Background: Telemedicine practice is a rapidly evolving aspect of medicine in developed countries, though resource-limited countries like Nigeria are yet to embrace it fully. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited patients’ visits to hospitals in addition to the social distancing measures deployed by the government. In addition, with the challenges of a limited number of doctors, among other difficulties, it has become important that a radical approach to patient care and treatment should be explored. Methods: A comprehensive literature review of original articles was done using an internet search. Words such as Telemedicine, COVID-19, Pandemic, Requirements, History, Benefits, and Challenges were searched on Google scholar, EMBASE, PubMed, Medline, Web MD, and Scopus to check for various articles published or any probable link. The references of the relevant articles were searched. Results: The practice of telemedicine has evolved over the years. Also, the global telemedicine market has grown exponentially and is expected to grow even further in the next five years. Unfortunately, this exciting narrative is not obtainable in developing countries like Nigeria. Indeed, some healthcare providers in Nigeria need to prepare for this new technological advancement, and consequently, they struggle to evolve their practice to adopt this new technology. Furthermore, there is disinterest from most of the end users, particularly the patients. Conclusion: Modifications must involve telemedicine services with a view of getting ready and well-organized in the event of any future pandemic such as COVID-19, in addition to harnessing the benefits of this service in the future.

Fears, Deaths, Mourning, and Burials in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

Extant studies on deaths in Nigeria have been conducted without much critical focus on how the public responded to emergency politics or the government’s interventions during pandemics. Fundamentally, this is the gap this research aims to fill. This study focuses on pain events, grieves, and mourning following COVID-19-related deaths. Thus, this study analyzes the intersections between COVID-19 and death discourse by exposing and interrogating the variances, ambiguities, ambivalences, corollaries, and paradoxes amid convoluted public health conversations. This research employed both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources include African beliefs, newspapers reports of past and current pandemics, and radio, television, and social media narratives. Secondary sources include reviews of existing literature on deaths and pandemics. Historical analysis is used in this study, identifying two categories of dead bodies created during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first category is Pandemic Dead Bodies (PDBs) and the second category is Non-Pandemic Dead Bodies (NPDBs). Many concomitants characterizing Pandemic Dead Bodies including stigmatization, apathy, otherization, ambiguities, genderization, demographication, politicization, contestations, and weaponization are interrogated from socio-historical perspectives. Heightening the stress of grieving families are issues around deaths, as burials are postponed or held within the restrictions of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) COVID-19 protocols, often with the presence of limited family members of the deceased. Thus, the pains and grieves are not just about the loss of loved ones, but the inability to give them a befitting burial, since Nigerians love to celebrate the liminality of their loved ones into eternity. Likewise, anticipatory grief became more accentuated and aggravated in Nigeria regarding the manner of announcing the demise of some popular politicians who died of COVID-19. Fundamentally, these problematic encumbrances, nuances, and intrigues concerning deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic are historicized. This study concludes that pains, grief, sorrow, death, and burial are historically constituted and configured regarding social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental interactions.

Impact Analysis of Pandemic on Nigeria’s Stock Market Performance

We empirically conducted a distinct analysis of the efficiency of the stock market before and during the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria as well as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on several indicators of stock market performance. Data were collected on stock variables on monthly basis for the pre-Covid-19 era (2018M02 to 2020M01) and Covid-19 pandemic era (2020M02 to 2022M01) from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin, while data on the numbers of daily new confirmed cases (New cases and deaths) as well as the government response stringency index on COVID-19 pandemic were obtained from Our World in Data (OWID). We leveraged numerous advantages of the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to estimate stock market efficiency before and during the Covid-19 pandemic for the purpose of comparison. Also, we employed the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Mixed Data Sampling (ADL-MIDAS) approach to conduct the impact analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic on stock market performance. We found that, in terms of efficiency, the stock market was more efficient during the Covid-19 pandemic than in the pre-Covid-19 era, being the only active market among other financial markets especially when several restrictions and total lockdown were imposed. In terms of returns and volatility, the study concluded that the Covid-19 pandemic did not significantly influence Nigeria’s stock market performance negatively. However, the government stringency measures had a significant positive impact on the stock market return in Nigeria. Our findings are instructive to policymaking and financial regulation.

Are youth-friendly reproductive health services accessible for young people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria?

Are youth-friendly reproductive health services accessible for young people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria?

Fear of contagion, emotional stress and coping strategies used by adults during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has induced high levels of stress. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between emotional stress (COVID-19 related fear, anger, frustration, and loneliness) and the use of coping strategies among adults in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsData from adults aged 18 years and above were collected through an online survey from July to December 2020. The dependent variables were COVID-19 related fear (fear of infection and infecting others with COVID-19), anger, frustration, and loneliness. The independent variables were coping strategies (use of phones to communicate with family and others, video conferencing, indoor exercises, outdoor exercises, meditation/mindfulness practices, engaging in creative activities, learning a new skill, following media coverage related to COVID-19) and alcohol consumption. Five logistic regression models were developed to identify the factors associated with each dependent variables. All models were adjusted for sociodemographic variables (age, sex at birth, and the highest level of education).ResultsRespondents who consumed alcohol, followed media coverage for COVID-19 related information, and who spoke with friends or family on the phone had higher odds of having fear of contracting COVID-19 or transmitting infection to others, and of feeling angry, frustrated, or lonely (p < 0.05). Respondents who exercised outdoors (AOR: 0.69) or learned a new skill (AOR: 0.79) had significantly lower odds of having fear of contracting COVID-19. Respondents who practiced meditation or mindfulness (AOR: 1.47) had significantly higher odds of feeling angry. Those who spoke with friends and family on the phone (AOR: 1.32) and exercised indoors (AOR: 1.23) had significantly higher odds of feeling frustrated. Those who did video conferencing (AOR: 1.41), exercised outdoors (AOR: 1.32) and engaged with creative activities (AOR: 1.25) had higher odds of feeling lonely.ConclusionDespite the significant association between emotional stress and use of coping strategies among adults in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears that coping strategies were used to ameliorate rather than prevent emotional stress. Learning new skills and exercising outdoors were used to ameliorate the fear of contracting COVID-19 in older respondents.

Compliance with Standard Precaution Practices During the Early Phase of the Covid-19 Pandemic among Nurses in Nigeria

Background: Nurses serve at the frontline during disease outbreaks. While measures have been adopted to control the rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, little is known about the level of compliance of nurses to standard precaution practices during the early phase of the pandemic. Objective: This study aimed to assess compliance with standard precaution practices (SPPs) among 713 nurses in Nigerian hospitals during the early phase of the pandemic. Method: The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design using an anonymous online questionnaire to elicit data from respondents. Data were analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 25. Chi-square test and multiple regression analyses were also conducted where appropriate. Results: Findings from this study indicated that 448 (62.8%) of the respondents had good knowledge of Covid-19 and 265 (37.2%) had poor knowledge. Also, 529 (74.2%) had good compliance with the practice of standard precautions, and 184 (25.8%) showed non-compliance. A significant association was found between the age of nurses (χ2=14.034 p=0.015), years of experience (χ2=8. 636 p =0.035) and their overall compliance with the practice of standard precautions. Conclusion: During the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria, although over an average of the nurses had good knowledge of the disease, over one-third had poor knowledge, and one-quarter showed poor compliance with standard precautions. Interventions to improve the knowledge and compliance of health workers during the early phase of disease outbreaks are hereby advocated, as 21.3% had no previous training on Covid-19.

Assessment of Teachers’ Competence and Interest in Online Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

&lt;div class="page" title="Page 1"&gt;&lt;div class="layoutArea"&gt;&lt;div class="column"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Despite the numerous advantages of the online mode of instruction in terms of flexible learning methods, convenience, broader coverage and its ability to ensure that no child was ignored educationally during the COVID-19 lockdown, teachers found it difficult to cope with such an approach. A survey was conducted on teachers' interests, competencies, and awareness of the online mode of instruction and its possible problems. The snowball sampling technique was used to identify 377 teachers at all levels of education in Nigeria during the lockdown. Amongst the outcomes of the study, it was revealed that teachers were fully competent in online teaching, thus encouraging them to continue using the approach after the COVID-19 pandemic. Support from private organisations, especially in the provision of subsidised technology devices and organisation of skills development programmes for teachers at all levels of education, will enhance their competency and performance in the ‘new normal’ generation. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

A comparative analysis of construction workers’ mental health before and during COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

PurposeBecause of the sort of working environment and the nature of construction jobs, a high rate of poor mental health has been recorded in the construction industry. The aim of this study is to compare construction workers' mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was developed and administered online to building environment professionals working on construction sites. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation. An independent sample t-test was also conducted to determine whether there was a significant difference in the mean before and during the COVID-19 infection.FindingsThe results show that mental health challenges were more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before the pandemic. The result of the independent sample t-test revealed that there exists a significant difference in all the mean before and during COVID-19 except sleeping too much or too little; having low or no energy and lack of emotion that shows no significant difference.Originality/valueThis study is the first to compare the mental health of construction workers before and during COVID-19 in Nigeria. The significance of this study was that it would provide an insight for construction managers and other decision-makers on the most critical mental health challenges on construction sites, which will help in an attempt to improve the mental well-being of construction workers.

Evolving Trend and the Hybrid Model for Event Management during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

Evolving Trend and the Hybrid Model for Event Management during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

Teaching and Learning during and post COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

Teaching and Learning during and post COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

Islam and human dignity: the plights of Almajiri street children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

This study examines the plight of Almajiri children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria within the context of religion, child rights, and human rights. Under the cover of being placed under an Islamic scholar for purposes of learning the Koran, the future of the Almajirai children has been mortgaged by the absence of proper care and denial of their rights. As a check to community spreading of the deadly coronavirus, the Almajiri children, notorious for street begging and largely found in Northern Nigeria were billed to be evacuated to their respective home states. Rather than moving these children to their home states in northern Nigeria, the majority of them were taken to the southern part of the country thus leading to intergroup disharmony and suspicion. Worried by the above, the study thus interrogates the nexus between the forceful removal and infringement of the rights of children, the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, questionable parenting, and failed governance. The rancor generated from evacuating these children to other parts of Nigeria raises the question of what has gone wrong with parenting and leadership. Sources for writing this paper have been derived from newspapers, journals, and online sources using the descriptive method of analysis.

Intergovernmental Harmony: An Imperative for Navigating Covid-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

The reality in the world today has to accommodate thedistortions and unprecedented global challenges necessitatedby the coronavirus disease which has affected all aspects ofhuman endeavours, thus demanding swift response fromthe government to chart the course through the pandemicinto progress and normalcy as the pandemic has greatlyaffected all sphere ranging from economic, social, health,educational, to religious aspect of life. An understanding ofthe crucial role of government in mobilising necessarystakeholders across relevant sectors and levels of governmenthas made harmonious intergovernmental relations paramountin navigating the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria becauseall actors must be deliberately engaged in a coordinatedmanner while leveraging a result-oriented approach to achievethe desired outcome. The methodology used for this researchwork is qualitative in nature with reliance on secondary data.Systems theory is the adopted theoretical base of analysis,thus, informing the stance of this discourse thatintergovernmental relations is key in effectively navigating the pandemic in Nigeria. The study identified that the usualacrimonious interplay between all levels of government inNigeria will be antithetical to the post-covid-19 developmentaleffort of the Nigerian State, hence, there is the need forsynergy, common alliance, coordination, and unity of purposebetween and among all levels of government targeted atmaking her developmental efforts during and after thepandemic plausible. This study recommends a robustintergovernmental management system that will helpcoordinate the interactions and relationships between thevarious governmental levels and actors as this will catalysesustainable progress in battling the pandemic.

COVID-19 risks and systemic gaps in Nigeria: resilience building lessons for pandemic and climate change management.

Pandemics alter a lot of human activities and the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 was no exception. The COVID-19 pandemic, like climate change, has far-reaching consequences that transcend geographical boundaries. The COVID-19-induced disruptions were global and rapid and so are emerging climate change impacts which are slow on set. The consequent closure of businesses and public facilities translated to economic grounding which invariably took a toll on people. The extensive impact across various facets of society highlights the complex interrelationship often overlooked by most people. Although most African countries escaped the wrath of the disease, the lessons from the pandemic must be learnt and mainstreamed into managing the impacts of climate change. This paper attempts to draw lessons from recent developments and gaps experienced in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and how improvements can be made in managing climate change. The analysis identified gaps in the management of COVID-19 in Nigeria. These gaps are evident in the current management of climate change impact and mitigation. The paper highlighted lessons from the pandemic in Nigeria that are vital in the management of climate change. The paper identified supply chain resilience and circularity, overhauling of health insurance programmes, diversification for growth, reorientation of priorities, and the building of agile and responsive institutions as practical approaches to mainstream lessons from the pandemic for climate change impact management. Furthermore, adequate investment in preparedness, risk education, research and development, and integrated data infrastructure is vital to ensure the lessons become part of the consciousness of the people.

Effectiveness of self-managed abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a pooled analysis of two prospective, observational cohort studies in Nigeria.

Globally, restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic altered access to clinical abortion care, as well as people's ability to access abortion medications on their own. When clinical care is inaccessible, or when self-care is preferred, people use pills on their own, without clinical supervision, to end their pregnancies-a practice known as "self-managed" abortion. Little is known about experiences of self-managed abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to measure experiences of self-managed abortion, including abortion completion, prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Between October 2019-September 2020, we recruited callers to a safe abortion accompaniment group that provides information on self-managed abortion in Nigeria. Participants completed a baseline phone survey, and two follow-up phone surveys. Primary outcomes included burdens experienced prior to versus during the pandemic, and abortion completion. We calculated frequencies and percentages overall and by time period and compared outcomes across time periods using t-tests, Chi-squared tests, tests of proportion, and Mantel-Haenszel adjusted odds ratios. Overall, 807 participants were included in these analyses. Participants enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to report needing to borrow money (47.9% vs 29.4%) and find lodging outside the home (15.5% vs 3.2%) for their self-managed abortion than were those enrolled prior to the pandemic. Participants reported COVID-19 related difficulties most frequently during the earliest and strictest period of the lockdowns, particularly in obtaining and taking pills (32.4%), and comfort seeking healthcare (12.2%). Nearly all participants (95%) reported a complete abortion at last follow-up. Results from this study underscore the challenges Nigerians faced during the COVID-19 pandemic in self-managing their abortions, and also the essential role that a safe abortion hotline played in expanding access to safe abortion during a time when the formal healthcare system was less accessible and higher-risk.

Re-evaluating Small and Medium Enterprises financial accessibility post COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

Purpose — This paper re-examined financial accessibility for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria by considering the times we live occasioned by the pandemic.Method — The study adopts the cross-sectional survey research design. The primary data in this study were obtained via a questionnaire administered to 270 SMEs in Abia State, Nigeria, who had applied for credit from a bank within the last two years. The data were collected using a self-administered survey.Result — The study showed that collateral is still a significant determinant of access to credit, as an increase in the ability of SMEs to provide collateral will significantly impact their access to credit. SME size (SSIZE) was found to have a positive and significant effect on credit access, implying that large SMEs are better able to access credit. Though SME age (SAGE) had an insignificant effect on access to credit and Cost of Credit (CCR) was found to impair access to credit which is significant at 5%. This is in line with expectation as a high-interest rate will discourage SMEs from seeking credit from banks. Contribution — This study contributes to the emerging discourse on financial accessibility in Nigeria post COVID-19. It presented a useful insight into how the government, through its fiscal, monetary policy and direct intervention, could play a more active role in helping SMEs bounce back from the challenges brought in by the pandemic.

Social Workers’ Involvement in Developing and Implementing Social Programs for Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria: A Concept Paper and Suggestions for Action Plans

ABSTRACT Social workers, especially in the Global North/developed countries such as the United States of America, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, have been actively involved in implementing social programs to improve the psychosocial, health, and wellbeing of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this is not the case in the Global South/developing countries like Nigeria, Ghana, etc. This concept paper aims to describe the current state of Nigerian social workers’ role in developing and implementing social programs for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify action plans for further strengthening their involvement. We systematically reviewed the literature to identify Nigerian social workers’ role in developing and implementing social programs for older adults during COVID-19. Our review reflected that social workers are rarely involved in developing and implementing social programs; when involved, their involvement is on a consultation basis, which limits their active involvement in multidisciplinary team of COVID-19 prevention and vaccination ad hoc committees in Nigeria.