COVID-19 Experience: Taking the Right Steps at the Right Time to Prevent Avoidable Morbidity and Mortality in Nigeria and Other Nations of the World

Abstract

Obinna O Oleribe,1 Princess Osita-Oleribe,2 Babatunde L Salako,3 Temitope A Ishola,4 Michael Fertleman,5 Simon D Taylor-Robinson6 1Excellence and Friends Management Care Centre, Abuja, Nigeria; 2Centre for Family Health Initiative, Abuja, Nigeria; 3Nigeria Institute for Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria; 4Department of Biochemistry, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria; 5Cutrale Perioperative & Ageing Group, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK; 6Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UKCorrespondence: Michael Fertleman Cutrale Perioperative & Ageing Group, Department of Bioengineering, 86 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UKEmail [email protected]: 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.Keywords: Nigeria, COVID-19, pandemic, prevention

Keywords

• nigeria
• covid-19
• pandemic
• prevention