COVID-19 in Nigeria: Presenting Opportunities for a New Normal in Healthcare Delivery

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has now involved nearly all countries and territories of the world, with no definite treatment or vaccine yet available. In this special edition of the Proceedings of the Nigerian Academy of Science, the flagship journal of the Nigeria Academy of Science (NAS), we present several research papers and commentaries that elucidate some experiences of the virus in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Specific papers in this issue of the journal present some of the most salient features of the COVID-19 in Nigeria including: 1) the history of the evolution of the virus in Nigeria, and its summary national epidemiology within the first 100 days of its discovery in the country (Olorunda & Fatusi, 2020); 2) clarification of the biological differences and similarities between the virus in Nigeria, and the first specie of the virus that was identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019 (Mackenzie & Smith, 2020); and 3) the potential for the use of mouthwashes for diminishing the consequences of the virus in individuals who may have been exposed (Oyeniyi, Bosun-Arije & Jaiyesimi, 2020).