HISTORICAL EXAMINATION OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Pandemics are epidemic outbreaks that spread easily across boundaries with devastating effects. More often, they have the capacity to alter and change human history, generate tension, and disrupt settled certainties of life. Pandemics mostly occur when there is emergence of infectious diseases such as bacterium or viruses and easily spread from a person to another. Prior to covid – 19 pandemics which had joined the long list, there were quite number of pandemics witnessed in human history that had claimed millions of lives. Covid -19 originated from the city of Wuhan, China in late December, 2019 and spread to many countries including Nigeria. Having been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March 2020, it rapidly encircled the globe, resulting to loss of million lives, many tested positive and cascaded into second wave as the casualties continue across the globe. Consequently, Nigeria like others, closed borders, stopped schools, prohibited religious gatherings and businesses to curtail its spread as it negatively impacted global travel, industry, and economy and health system. The paper adopts descriptive and historical approach, relies on secondary sources of data to analyse its findings. It gives ethnography of pandemics spread, phases and effects. The paper analyses the fundamental implications of covid- 19 on Nigeria, putting into focus the need to lean on historical data leveraging on local peculiarities in addressing fragilities and efforts towards combating it. It calls for an increased preparedness to addressing shortfalls that heightened the spread. This piece concludes by calling for genuine efforts towards strategically closing the lacuna in the health system; ensure intensive research, surveillance and workable policies from the government.