As Nigerians fully return to their daily business activities, recent data has shown that the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the country is picking up again, with 225 patients admitted on the 13th of October 2020, which amounts to a total of 60,655 recorded cases to date.
In the past 10 days, a total of 1,368 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) with a daily average of 137 cases, while active cases have grown to 7,533 as of 13th October 2020. This is an indication of a possible second wave of the pandemic in the country.
The recent spike could be attributed to the erroneous belief by most Nigerians that the pandemic is over and things are back to normal. A belief obviously seen in their actions, as many go about their businesses without the use of face masks or adoption of social distancing, especially by traders and artisans across the country. This was reported by Nairametrics Research Team in September.
Backstory
Nairametrics reported in August, that Nigeria’s COVID-19 curves were flattening at a rapid pace, this was because of the consistent decline in the number of daily new cases recorded across the country. As of 31st of August 2020, the monthly average had dropped to 350, from 563 recorded in July and 518 in June.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have been totally taken by the #EndSARS movement in recent weeks, which has caused many to assemble in numbers at various cities, protesting with little or no consideration for the transmission of COVID-19, a pandemic that grounded many in their homes for the most part of the year.
What they are saying
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, in a live broadcast in September, had said that the second wave of COVID-19 is inevitable in Nigeria if citizens do not continue to adhere to measures put in place to contain the viral pandemic.
“We know that as we move towards the reopening of schools, there will be increased opportunity for transmission because students will come together,”
He also added that “We need Nigerians to see that it’s not something any government can do on her own. We see a lot of violation of these measures by institutions that have the capacity to insist on it.”
Meanwhile, the latest COVID-19 report has shown that the most affected age group are between the ages of 31 and 40 years. The disease is more prevalent amongst the male gender, with 64% of the total confirmed cases being male and 36% of the affected patients are female.
READ: Covid-19: We have increased daily testing capacity to over 3,500 a day – Health Minister
What this means
The recent increase in the number of new cases means that the country could be gradually slipping into the second wave of COVID-19, which could throw Nigerians back into lockdown. An action that caused the economy to plunge by as much as 6.1% in the second quarter of the year, with an expected contraction in Q3 2020.
- The recovery from a looming recession could be further hampered if these cases continue to spike and lockdown implemented again.
- Plans for the reopening of higher institutions of learning will also be affected.
- Other aspects of the economy that could suffer significantly from a second wave of the pandemic include aviation, private schools, artisans, and many more.
Explore Data on the Nairametrics Research Website
It is important for Nigerians to quickly return to the use of face masks and social distancing, so as to help curb the spread of the pandemic in the country. According to recent numbers, COVID-19 is still very much lurking around.
