The myth that Nigerians are immune to SARS-CoV-2 and that COVID-19 is a hoax are putting lives at risk

摘要

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiological agent of coronavi- rus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 virus was first reported in Wuhan China in December 2019 but has since taken a pandemic course affecting all parts of the world. As of August 2, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported 17 660 523 cases worldwide including 680 894 deaths [1]. In Nigeria, the index COVID-19 was reported on February 27, 2020 [2]. This extension of the pandemic to Nigeria elicited an overwhelming response of panic and fear sweeping across the nation. Social media has tremendous impact on the Nigerian public’s collective perception, knowledge and at- titude about COVID-19. In this case of COVID-19, it has probably done more harm by its generation of gratuitous alarm and exploitation as evidenced by the spread of fear, offer of fake cures, and the dismiss- al of medical advice [3]. This is further exacerbated when these misleading messages are endorsed by influential people [4]. Consequently, in an effort to quell this tide of disinformation and soothe the fears of ignorant Nigerians buried in conspiracy theories, conventional mass media coverage in news and print media has been heightened by Nigerian Centre for Disease Con- trol (NCDC), the Federal and State governments. Despite this extensive media coverage, it may seem that Nigerians rely on these misleading sources of information rather than factual and evidence-based information from national and international competent public health authorities. This may have contributed significantly to the steady rise of con- firmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 in Nigeria (Figure 1). Indeed, as of July 31, 2020, Nigeria has recorded 43 151 confirmed COVID-19 cases including 879 deaths [5].