Events that shaped 2020: How Coronavius reset Nigeria

Like every other year, 2020 came with so much expectations, people hoped for improved quality of life and a better economic prospects than the previous years. But that was not to be. The advent of the novel Coronavius, otherwise known as Covid-19, dashed that hope and totally reset the year.

Coronavius is caused by a new strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that has not been previously identified in humans, hence, it is described as novel. It was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO), on the 31st of December, 2019 in Wuhan, China.

This deadly disease might sound strange and new to many, including health care providers and experts. Actually, Jehovah’s Witnesses, a religious group, sounded a warning of its emergence over 15 years ago, in one of its magazines, Awake!

Writing on the subject “The Next Global Epidemic, When?” December 22, 2005, edition of Awake! did not only raise the alarm that a pandemic virus might emerge in China or a nearby country, but it also warned that it might emanate from an animal and could surface from antigens or virulence factors derived from animal influenza viruses.

The magazine quoted the medical journal, Vaccine, of 2003, which warned: “It has been 35 years since the last influenza pandemic, and the longest interval between pandemics recorded with certainty in 39 years. The pandemic virus may emerge in China or a nearby country and could surface from antigens or virulence factors derived from animal influenza viruses.

“It will spread rapidly throughout the world. Several waves of infection will occur. Morbidity will be extensive in all age groups, and there will be widespread disruption of social and economic activity in all countries. Excess mortality will be evident in most, if not all age groups. It is unlikely that health care systems in even the most economically developed countries will be able to adequately cope with the demand for health care services.”

True to this prediction, the influenza pandemic began in China, from where it has spread to other parts of the world. And according to the warning, even with its huge economic base, China has not been able to cope adequately with the sensor health care services.

To contain the spread of coronavius, a number of measures were recommended by the Presidential Task Force and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). These include regular hand washing with soap under running water for at least 20 seconds, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer, wearing of nose mask and observance of social/physical distancing.

The first case of Covid-19 was confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Health Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), in Lagos, on the 27 February 2020. The case was an Italian citizen who came from Milan, Italy to Lagos on the 25 February. He was tested and confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. He was however treated at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.

Many blamed the federal government for not closing its borders on time. They opined that those in authority could have delayed closing the international boarders to enable their loved one trapped abroad to return home.

Ever since then, Covid-19 has continued to ravage the entire country, killing thousands, especially the elderly and those with health issues.

Many have described 2020 as the year we wash our hand and do other things. Indeed, people washed hands more than any other activity.

Just how serious is an Influenza pandemic? The Awake! earlier quoted, warned of the seriousness of the Influenza-like Coronavirus, when it quoted John M. Barry, author of the book, The Great Influenza, who wrote: “A terrorist with a nuclear weapon is every national politician’s nightmare. A new influenza pandemic should be.”

The battle to contain Covid-19 have been liken to a war, in which no canon is fired, a war in which the enemy could not be seen, but only felt.

Commenting on the effect of Coronavius, the deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, described 2020 as an unforgettable year, in which the world fought another world war.

Shaibu who spoke at his annual breakfast meeting with journalists in Benin, said: “This year, for me, it is a great year that we would never forget in our lives, the year that the whole world stood still, the economy of the whole world stood still.

“The world is fighting another world war which that does not need ammunition or missiles, yet, deaths are recorded. A war that all of us have now been asked to wear only face masks.”

The world is now battling the second wave of the dreaded disease.

When this report was being prepared, a total of 86,576 cases were recorded, of which 73,322 recovered, and 1,278 deaths recorded. Lagos State, which has been the epicentre of the disease recorded 29, 618 cases, 26,088recovered and 241 deaths.

Economic impact of Covid-19

Nigeria, like many other countries, was struggling to survive the economic recession that hit the entire world in the year 2019. Then came Covid-19, and the economy plumetted.

Nigeria’s economy which had been crippled by external factors, was made worse by the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in a near-total shutdown of economic activities. As the world recorded a steep drop in oil prices amid a drop in global demand, Nigeria was left drastically short of earnings.

With many Nigerians made unemployed by COVID-19, combined with lower volumes of exports such as oil, Nigeria’s economy has contracted by 6.1 per cent in the year in the second quarter of 2020. About 27 per cent of Nigeria’s labour force (over 21 million Nigerians) are unemployed. There’s also little sign of a quick turnaround in Nigeria’s economic woes as the World Bank predicts Africa’s most populous country is set for its worst recession in four decades.

As with most other economies around the world, the sharp drop in Nigeria’s GDP growth is largely down to the slowdown in economic activity after the country resorted to a lockdown back in April to curb the spread of the virus. In the wake of the pandemic the World Bank forecast a decline of -3.2 or r cent for 2020—a five percentage point drop from its previous projections.

Health Sector

Nigeria’s health sector has always been in comatose, but the advent of Coronavius further made a mess if it. It exposed the rot in inefficiency of government-owned hospitals, stretching them to their limit. Many of them failed to provide the necessary equipment, like personal protective gears, for the frontline workers.

The deadly disease has also taken toll on health workers who are in the frontline of the war. As at the time of filing this report, over 1,000 doctors and other health care providers were infected, with many paying the supreme price. The worst case was recorded in a week when 20 doctors lost their lives to Covid-19.

Education sector:

Like in every other part of the world, students of primary to tertiary institutions across the country also felt the brunt of Covid-19. Schools were shut to prevent further spread of the disease, thereby prolonging academic calendar.

Sports

Sporting activities were suspended all over the world. All leagues across the globe were put on hold. The 2020 summer Olympics which was to be hosted by Japan was also suspended.

In Nigeria, the much anticipated Nigeria National Sports Festival (NAFEST), tagged ‘Edo 2020’, was shifted three times because of Covid-19. It is hoped that the second wave of Coronavius will not stop the new date of February 14 to 28, 2021.

Last line…..

Perhaps the whole world would not have been in this precarious situation it finds itself, if governments, medical experts, health care providers, bodies like the World Health Organization, WHO had taken seriously the warning sounded by Awake! and took proactive steps to nip Coronavius in the bud.

It is hoped that Nigerians will cooperate with those in authority and make the fight against the second wave of Covid-19 easier and quicker one to win.