Today marks one year after Chinese authorities locked down the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Countries across the globe, including Nigeria, are still suffering the impact of the virus, Daily Trust Saturday reports.

Nigeria and the rest of the world have continued to suffer from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to lockdown in various countries of the world (partial or total).

A lockdown is an emergency protocol that prevents people from leaving a given area. The protocol is usually initiated to prevent the spread of diseases.

The Wuhan lockdown marked the beginning of a series and magnitude of lockdowns across the world, which has never been witnessed as a result of a disease.

The virus first emerged in Wuhan wet markets in December 2019 and later spread to other parts of China and the rest of the world.

By January 23, the Chinese government sent everyone indoors in Wuhan, and at least 11million people came under strict quarantine, while mandatory observation of social distancing, wearing facemasks and sanitising or washing their hands were observed.

For nearly six months, the city lost contact with other parts of China as there was no entry or exit.

Nigeria and most countries across the world experienced lockdowns weeks and months after the Wuhan outbreak as the virus spread. Various governments issued stay-at-home orders, shut down schools, public places and issued restrictions for both local and international travels. Countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States of America (USA) instituted lockdowns.


As at Thursday, January 21, 2021, Nigeria recorded 116, 655 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 93, 646 cases were discharged and 1,485 deaths recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Although global analysts said the lockdown of Wuhan came with so much cost and inconvenience, the city is bustling today, with the economy of China gaining 2.3 per cent growth.

This is not the case with the rest of the world. Countries are facing significant slip in the economy; some, like Nigeria, are already in recession while struggling with a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with citizens expecting another lockdown.

According to medical experts, lockdown holds benefits in curbing the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases.

Some, however, believe that partial lockdowns are better in some places than others, leaving essential services, including hospitals, pharmacies and markets that sell food items and other essential needs, especially while ensuring few number of people for public gatherings and social distancing.

Dr Biodun Ogungbo, a neurosurgeon at Brain and Spine Surgery Consortium, said after Wuhan lockdown commenced in China on January 23, daily deaths started falling less than a month later. “Another month after that, it was down to less than 10 a day.” He said the number of deaths also reduced in Italy after it instituted a lockdown. He said without a lockdown, the COVID-19 virus spreads uncontrollably within a few months to infect virtually 100 per cent of the population.

While lockdowns helped to curb the spread of the virus across cities, international borders left disastrous impacts on various economies, health systems and health care service delivery for other diseases, social life and entertainment and loss of livelihoods, among others.

COVID-19 lockdown caused disruptions in services for malaria, antenatal care, routine services like immunisation, cancer screening exercises, to mention a few, in Nigeria and Africa.

The Federal Ministry of Health confirmed the first COVID-19 case in Lagos State on February 27, 2020. The Federal Government also announced a two-week lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and Ogun states from March 30, 2020.

The government had continued to extend the lockdown until June 2020 when it gradually began to relax it. During this period, only essential service workers were allowed to move, while interstate travels, local and international flights were banned.

The economy nearly crumbled as only the seaports were allowed to operate for importation of goods.

The Federal Government, apparently considering that citizens were overwhelmed by the impact of the lockdown, rolled out palliatives, starting with food and essentials, partly donated by CACOVID, a private sector coalition fighting the COVID-19.

https://dailytrust.com/covid-19-one-year-after-wuhan-lockdown-nigeria-others-still-suffering

Covid 19 really changed the world.

Nothing is promised in life, Death comes peace.

Do we really have covid cases in Nigeria as Exaggerated by the statistics ?

i am eager to see us return to normal again

The new normal:




We all became surgeons.

The new normal:



We all became theater doctors.