Patient characteristics associated with COVID-19 positivity and fatality in Nigeria: retrospective cohort study

Objective: Despite the increasing disease burden, there is a dearth of context-specific evidence on the risk factors for COVID-19 positivity and subsequent death in Nigeria. Thus, the study objective was to identify context-specific factors associated with testing positive for COVID-19 and fatality in Nigeria. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting: COVID-19 surveillance and laboratory centres in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory reporting data to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. Participants: Individuals who were investigated for SARSCoV-2 using real-time PCR testing during the study period 27 February–8 June 2020. Methods: COVID-19 positivity and subsequent mortality. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors independently associated with both outcome variables, and findings are presented as adjusted ORs (aORs) and 95% CIs. Results: A total of 36 496 patients were tested for COVID-19, with 10 517 confirmed cases. Of 3215 confirmed cases with available clinical outcomes, 295 died. Factors independently associated with COVID-19 positivity were older age (p value for trend<0.0001), male sex (aOR 1.11, 95%CI 1.04 to 1.18) and the following presenting symptoms: cough (aOR 1.23, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.32), fever (aOR 1.45, 95% CI 1.45 to 1.71), loss of smell (aOR 7.78, 95% CI 5.19 to 11.66) and loss of taste (aOR 2.50, 95% CI 1.60 to 3.90). An increased risk of mortality following COVID-19 was observed in those aged ≥51 years, patients in farming occupation (aOR 7.56, 95% CI 1.70 to 33.53) and those presenting with cough (aOR 2.06, 95% CI 1.41 to 3.01), breathing difficulties (aOR 5.68, 95% CI 3.77 to 8.58) and vomiting (aOR 2.54, 95% CI 1.33 to 4.84). Conclusion: The significant risk factors associated with COVID-19 positivity and subsequent mortality in the Nigerian population are similar to those reported in studies from other countries and should guide clinical decisions for COVID-19 testing and specialist care referrals

Places Nigerians visited during COVID-19 Government stay-home policy: Evidence from analysis of data collected during the lockdown

Introduction: The compliance with Nigeria’s Government’s lockdown policy in the first wave of Covid-19 infection in the countryNigeria is important to curtailing community transmission of the infection. The objective of the research is to identify places Nigerians visited during the lockdown to help prepare for future infectious disease of public health importance. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of unconventional data collected using Google forms and online social media platforms during Covid-19 lockdown between April and June 2020 in Nigeria. Two datasets from: i) Partnership for Evidence-Based Response to COVID-19 (PERC) wave-1 and ii) college of medicine, university of Lagos were used for the research. Quantitative data were exported from Google Forms processed (DOA) using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Frequencies, graphs, and tables were used to present the results. Results: There were 1304 and 879 participants in the PERC wave-1 and CMUL datasets, respectively. The mean age of CMUL dataset respondents was 33.1 (SD=8.3) years and 55.9% and 44.1% of respondents lived in locations with partial and complete covid-19 lockdown, respectively. Majority (91.8%) of respondents in locations with complete lockdown complied with the stay-home policy. A higher proportion of females (92.7%) complied than males (81.2%) with the stay-home policy. Employment status (p = 0.002), financial earnings (p <0.001), gender (p < 0.001), geopolitical zone of residence (p < 0.001) had statistically significant association with compliance with stay home policy. From the CMUL dataset and irrespective of the type of lockdown, the more most common place of visited during the lockdown was the market (shopping); in 73% for places states with partial lockdown and in 68% for places states with complete lockdown. Visits to families and friends was more in places states with complete (16.1%) than places states with partial (8.4%) lockdown. Conclusion: The study finds the market (shopping) as the main place visited during the lockdown compared to visiting friends/family, places of worship, Gym, and going to work. It is important in future for Government to plan how citizens will can safely get access markets and get other household items during lockdowns for future infectious disease epidemics