Nigeria’s race to zero COVID-19 cases: True disease burden or testing failure?

Al-Mustapha, Ahmad Ibrahim; Tijani, Abubakar Ahmed; Oyewo, Muftau; Ibrahim, Ahmed; Elelu, Nusirat; Ogundijo, Oluwaseun Adeolu; Awosanya, Emmanuel Jolaoluwa; Heikinheimo, Annamari; Adetunji, Victoria O.

doi:10.7189/jogh.11.03094

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Consistent with other reports, Nigeria (Kwara State included) must improve its COVID-19 testing capacity (including molecular genomic surveillance) (25,28,29). This poor COVID-19 testing mechanism is evident in that of the 2,936 vaccine recipients included in this study, only 499 (17%) of them have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…There are five main individual determinants for vaccine acceptance: confidence, complacency, convenience, risk calculation, and collective responsibility ( 23 , 24 ). These determinants have made Nigerians accept the COVID-19 vaccines despite concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy especially with the rapid pace of COVID-19 vaccine development, reports of thrombosis associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, consistently low COVID-19 cases and deaths in Nigeria, poor perception of COVID-19 severity, mistrust in government's handling of the pandemic, lack of economic palliatives for citizens, and poor healthcare infrastructure ( 25 , 26 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With a prevalence of 3.6% in the tested sub-population, health agencies must ensure that statewide or nationwide screening for SARS-CoV-2 is intensified to determine the true prevalence of COVID-19. This will help identify positive predictors, predisposing factors, and clusters of infections across the state and the country ( 25 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Socio-Demographic Characteristics of COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

Al-Mustapha

Abubakar

Oyewo

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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Understanding key socio-demographic variables of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine recipients is crucial to improving its acceptance and Nigeria's COVID-19 control strategy. The survey was conducted as a non-probability cross-sectional survey of 2,936 COVID-19 vaccine recipients in Kwara State. Our findings revealed that 74% (n = 2,161) of the vaccine recipients were older than 40 years. Forty percent (n = 1,180) of the vaccine recipients earned a monthly income >100,000 Naira (equivalent to US $200). Most of the vaccine recipients (64%, n = 1,880) had tertiary education, while 15% (n = 440) of them had no formal education. Almost half of the recipients (47%, n = 1,262) were government employees and 28.8% (n = 846) of them had health-related backgrounds. Only 17% (n = 499) of the vaccine recipients have been screened for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), of which 21% (n = 105/499) of them were tested positive. Only 47% (n = 1,378) had been fully immunized. The prevalence of confirmed COVID-19 cases among COVID-19 vaccine recipients in Kwara State was 3.6% (n = 105/2,936). The most recurrent adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) among vaccine recipients were fever (14%, n = 411), pain at injection site (47%, n = 1,409), headache (19%, n = 558), and body weakness (9%, n = 264). The need to protect themselves from the deadly virus was the main reason that prompted people to voluntarily accept the COVID-19 vaccine. There is a high level of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among respondents across all social classes including those with no formal education, those with very low monthly income (< US $2 per day), and in untested population. Hence, vaccine donors should prioritize equitable distribution to Low-and-Middle-income Countries (LMICs) such as Nigeria, and health authorities should improve vaccine advocacy to focus on vaccine safety and efficacy.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

Al-Mustapha

Abubakar

Oyewo

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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“…In addition to societies that adopted the zero-COVID-19 strategy, such as Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Macau, North Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, China was extensively examined for its consistency in its adherence to the zero-COVID-19 strategy. In addition to the publication date, the following inclusion criteria were also utilized to screen articles: (1) the article must be published in English, (2) the research must be conducted in the context of COVID-19, and (3) the article must discuss the advantages of the zero-COVID-19 strategy as an integrated disease elimination approach, as opposed to singular countermeasures of the strategy (e.g., studies solely focused on lockdowns [ 21 ]) or the mere eventuality of reaching zero COVID-19 cases (e.g., [ 22 ]).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Advantages of the Zero-COVID-19 Strategy

Cheshmehzangi

McDonnell

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Introduction: To curb the COVID-19 pandemic, countries across the globe have adopted either a mitigation or anelimination policy, such as the zero-COVID-19 strategy. However, further research is needed to systematically investigate the advantages of the zero-COVID-19 strategy in the literature. To bridge the research gap, this study examines the zero-COVID-19 strategy in terms of its advantages as a global anti-pandemic framework. Methods: A literature review was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus to locate academic articles that discussed the advantages of the zero-COVID-19 strategy. Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis approach was adopted to guide the data analysis process. Results: The findings of our study show that the advantages of the zero-COVID-19 strategy range from short-term (e.g., limited virus infections, hospitalizations, and deaths), to medium-term (e.g., reduced presence of other infectious diseases), and long-term (e.g., low incidence of long COVID-19). While local residents mainly leverage these advantages, they also impact the global community (e.g., stable global supply of essentials, such as COVID-19 vaccines). Conclusions: COVID-19 is catastrophic, yet controllable. Our study examined the advantages of the zero-COVID-19 strategy from a nuanced perspective and discussed how these advantages benefit both the local and the global community in pandemic control and management. Future studies could investigate the shortcomings of the zero-COVID-19 strategy, especially its unintended consequences, such as adverse impacts on vulnerable populations’ mental health, so that society could more efficiently, economically, and empathetically capitalize on the potential of the zero-COVID-19 strategy for the betterment of personal and public health.

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COVID-19 self-testing in Nigeria: Stakeholders’ opinions and perspective on its value for case detection

Undelikwo

Shilton

Foláyan

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background COVID-19 testing coverage is limited in Nigeria. Access to SARS-CoV-2 self-testing kits may help improve the detection of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases and increase the currently low rate of COVID-19 testing in the country. Before implementing SARS-CoV-2 self-testing in Nigeria, it is imperative to assess the populations perceptions regarding this innovation. We therefore conducted a qualitative study to investigate peoples values and preferences for SARS-CoV-2 self-testing in Nigeria. Methods We used semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions among healthcare workers, community representatives, and public health implementors to explore values and perceptions around various aspects of COVID-19 testing, including conventional COVID-19 testing, SARS-CoV-2 self-testing, the safe and effective use of SARS-CoV-2 self-testing, actions upon receiving a positive SARS-CoV-2 self-test result, and future prospects for SARS-CoV-2 self-testing. Results Respondents reported that there is limited availability of conventional SARS-CoV-2 testing in Nigeria. While just a few respondents were familiar with SARS-CoV-2 testing, respondents generally supported the use of SARS-CoV-2 self-testing as they felt it could assist with early case detection and improve access to testing. Concerns relating to the use of SARS-CoV-2 self-testing were majorly about the ability among low literacy populations to use and interpret the test, the affordability of tests, equity of access, and the availability of healthcare system support for those who test positive. Conclusion Though the public perceive multiple benefits associated with access to SARS-CoV-2 self-testing, the efficiency of the national health service delivery system may limit access of the users of the kits to psychosocial and clinical support. In Nigeria, where COVID-19 vaccine coverage is low and the risk of further waves of COVID-19 is high, self-testing may assist in the prompt detection of cases and contribute to halting the spread of the virus.

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Nigeria’s race to zero COVID-19 cases: True disease burden or testing failure?

Cited by 10 publications

References 4 publications

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

The Advantages of the Zero-COVID-19 Strategy

COVID-19 self-testing in Nigeria: Stakeholders’ opinions and perspective on its value for case detection

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