By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Nigeria has now reached 101,024 coronavirus infections and 1,358 deaths in the latest count as the country joins the rest of the world to fight off a pandemic that has upended life and living everywhere on earth for the past 12 months.
Live updates on worldometers.info show that in the top five states, Lagos – the most populous with 20 million people – holds the record in both cases (22,562) and deaths (220), followed by
· Federal Capital Territory – 6,385 cases, 82 deaths
· Plateau – 3,724 cases, 33 deaths
· Oyo – 3,693 cases, deaths 45
· Rivers – 2,916 cases, deaths 59
Contributing factors
“A major factor contributing to the mortality of cases is the late presentation at the approved treatment centres,” Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, said last week.
He explained at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja that caregivers hold on to suspected cases for too long before presenting them for treatment.
Second wave
Nigeria ranks eighth in Africa by the number in cases, behind Algeria (102,144), Libya (104,745), and Ethiopia (128,316).
A survey carried out by Nairametrics in September 2020, showed that – before the second wave of the pandemic – Nigerians had stopped using face masks, hand sanitisers, and social distancing practices.
Most traders and artisans believed the virus was no longer a threat considering the reduction in the daily number of cases, and some believed there was no Covid-19 in Nigeria in the first place.
Earlier this month, the Lagos State government attributed the second wave to the re-opening of the economy, schools, religious, and social gatherings, among others.
Other factors listed by state Health Commissioner Akin Abayomi included general laxity, a false sense of security, non-adherence to safety guidelines, and entertainment gatherings.
Vaccine distribution
The federal government has disclosed that priority in the distribution of coronavirus vaccine when it gets to Nigeria will be determined by the rate of infection per state.
The government said on January 9 that it hopes to receive about 100,000 doses of the vaccines in two weeks’ time or at the latest between the end of January and the first week of February.
The second wave of the pandemic in Nigeria is growing at a higher rate compared to the first.
Continuous increase in the number of cases may trigger another round of lockdown, which could hinder the recovery process of the economy from recession.
The increases can be attributed to Nigerians not complying with public health guidelines pronounced by the government to curb the spread of the pandemic.
