By: Arinze Okigbo

According to thepathologist.com, Coronaviruses are a large family of enveloped, non-segmented, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses circulating among animals, including camels and cats, and bats. Coronaviruses derive their name from their electron microscopic image, which resembles a crown – or corona.

 

COVID-19 is a type of coronavirus first discovered in Wuhan, China, on December 31st, 2019.  On the 11th of Mach, 2020, the World Health Organization's Director-General classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. As of today, a total of 87.2 million people has contracted the virus, and 1.88 million have died.

 

COVID had a significant impact on many countries' economies because many businesses went out of business due to lockdown and the COVID protocols. Many people lost their jobs and ended up with no income source, and got kicked out of their homes because of their inability to pay rent. Nigeria's GDP dropped 23% during the lockdown (March-June). Poverty levels increased by 9% during the eight weeks of lockdown in Nigeria as well. The World Bank predicts that Nigeria is set on course to face its worst recession in 40 years.

 

As of today, a very high number of people feel that mask-wearing is irrelevant because there isn't a death surge like in Italy or Brazil. But what this majority hasn't realized is that the low death rate in Nigeria from COVID or COVID-related cases is several reasons. The first is that when we went into lockdown on March 30th, we only had 20 cases, so the virus hadn't spread that much, and everyone was isolated at home, so it barely spread.

 

The second reason is that we have a high youth population. 42.54% of our population is between 0-14 years old. People older than about 60 years old or people with pre-existing conditions have a higher chance of dying from the virus. Because most of our population is younger than 30 years old, not many people die from the virus.

 

The economy has reopened, and the lockdown has been lifted, there has been a steady increase in the number of daily cases. This is mainly done to the fact the COVID protocols aren't being followed and abided by. On January 22nd, a total of 2314 cases were reported. This is the highest number of cases reported yet in Nigeria.

 

According to the CDC, the COVID protocols that are being neglected are;

 

• Wear a mask to protect yourself and others and stop the spread of COVID-19.

• Stay at least 6 feet (about two arm lengths) from others who don't live with you.

• Avoid crowds. The more people you are in contact with, the more likely you will be exposed to COVID-19.

 

If people follow these protocols and get either the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, we significantly slow down the virus's spread.

 

I feel that the data and statistic presented by the media and presented by NCDC is inaccurate because many people hide the fact that they are COVID positive because they are afraid of the heavy stigma that is carried. Most of the numbers presented are incorrect, and I hope that Nigerians can learn to accept that they contracted the virus and ensure that the right agencies know. Correct data and statistics are presented. The people can finally see that the pandemic is as real as possible and need to follow all government protocols.

 

Technology has been a significant asset in helping to curb the spread of this dreadful virus. So far, many tech companies have kept people entertained and at home. Some examples of tech companies that have helped curb the spread of the virus and have helped those that have already been infected are;

 

Google & Apple:

Sometime in May, May 20th, to be exact, something that had never been thought possible happened. Google and Apple had a collaboration. They put their rivalry aside and came together to form an Exposure Notification API, which can be used by public health agencies to build contact-tracing apps that would alert your iPhone or Android if you had come in close contact with someone that has tested positive for the virus. 

 

Zoom:

At the beginning of this pandemic, I had no idea that Zoom existed, but it became a significant part of my life during the past year. It helped me keep in touch with my friend, and it made learning at home a lot easier. Zoom helped connect families and friends that we're unable to meet in person, and it also helped reduce the risk of the virus spreading.

 

Amazon:

In Q3 of 2020, Amazon had net sales of almost 96.15 billion U.S. dollars, exceeding even the 69.98 billion U.S. dollars they made in the same quarter of 2019. A lot of people practice retail-therapy online, and Amazon helped reduce the need to go to the store to get groceries or supplies as they would deliver them to your doorstep.

 

Netflix, YouTube, Hulu:

Staying at home for long periods of time with no form of entertainment can be quite a bore. Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu helped to keep us entertained and helped stop the temptation from going outside and increasing the risk of contracting and spreading the virus.