By Gurama Gurama A. (Ph.D)
In Nigeria, the way people are complaining of cough, catarrh, fever, loss of appetite & smell and fever is really worrisome.
Nigeria, with about 200 million populace, has had more than 100,000 confirmed cases and nearly 1413 deaths as at Sunday 17th January, 2021 according to NCDC.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a communicable respiratory disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus that causes illness in humans.
Scientists are still learning about the disease, and think that the virus began in animals. At some point, one or more humans acquired infection from an animal, and those infected humans began transmitting infection to other humans.
The disease spreads from person to person through infected air droplets that are projected during sneezing or coughing.
It can also be transmitted when humans have contact with hands or surfaces that contain the virus and touch their eyes, nose, or mouth with the contaminated hands.
Novel COVID-19 was first reported in China, but it has now spread throughout the world and declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020.
Temperature Sensitivity:
Current evidence on other coronavirus strains shows that while coronaviruses appear to be stable at low and freezing temperatures for a certain period, food hygiene and good food safety practices can prevent their transmission through food, drinks and what have you. Specifically, coronaviruses are thermolabile, which means that they are susceptible to normal cooking temperatures (70°C) and above.
Therefore, as a general rule, the consumption of raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided for now.
Viability on surface:
From the existing knowledge, recent research evaluated the survival of the COVID-19 virus on different surfaces and reported that the virus can remain viable for up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel, up to four hours on copper, and up to 24 hours on cardboard.
Mode of transmission:
Covid19?* Based on recent findings, transmission of COVID-19 is primarily occurring from people when they have symptoms, and can also occur just before they develop symptoms, when they are in close proximity to others for prolonged periods of time.
While someone who never develops symptoms can also pass the virus to others, it is still not clear to what extent this occurs and more research is needed in this aspect as it’s still a drawback to the global knowledge.
Protect yourself and others around you by knowing the facts and taking appropriate precautions as stated by both WHO and NCDC. Follow advice provided by your local health authority.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19:
· Clean your hands often. Use soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand rub.
· Maintain a safe distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
· Wear a mask when physical distancing is not possible.
· Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
· Cover your nose and mouth with your bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
· Stay home if you feel unwell.
· If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Calling in advance allows your healthcare provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This protects you, and prevents the spread of viruses and other infections.
Masks; can help prevent the spread of the virus from the person wearing the mask to others. Masks alone do not protect against COVID-19, and should be combined with physical distancing and hand hygiene. Follow the advice provided by your local health authority.
There are currently more than 50 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in trials, of which 2 are already approved and are been produced in mass for global distribution and administration.
As Nigeria is still waiting for the arrival of the vaccine.
Base on the numbers of published cases by NCDC, one can’t fully assertain on the Novel COVID-19 in Nigeria due to the inadequate testing facilities and capacities.
COVID-19 as less threat to Africans and Nigerians in particular:
It is still a limitation, a drawback to the entire global knowledge on why the Corona virus is not thriving in Africa like it’s thriving in other Continents, as we are still waiting for more scientific research on that area. Another strain of COVID-19 was discovered in other countries but no variation in sign and symptoms of the earlier strain discovered.
Gurama is a Bachelor of Science, Master of Food and a Fellow of Doctoral Degree in Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology writing from Faculty of Pharmacy, Gombe State University.
Very informative peice