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At its peak in 2020, Nigeria’s stadiums were redeveloped into isolation centers
A resurgence of coronavirus cases in West Africa is hitting the region hard, flooding cemeteries where the number of funerals is increasing and hospitals where beds are scarce.
These visible changes are also pushing a reluctant population to seek out more vaccines at a time when dose shipments are arriving from multiple sources after nearly stopping in recent months.
Shortages and delays have caused the 54 African countries to fall far behind the wealthiest countries in rolling out their COVID-19 vaccine.
Some 82 million doses have arrived on the continent, while this is only 10% of the number needed.
Other expeditions are finally arriving.
Nigeria has just received just over four million doses of the Moderna vaccine donated by the United States.
The most populous country in Africa, with more than 210 million people, Nigeria is also expected to receive more than 29 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines purchased by the government through the African Union.
But there is still work to be done to publicize the benefits of vaccination, and many are still reluctant to get vaccinated as conspiracy theories spread online.
The cumulative number of cases of the virus in Nigeria recently exceeded 174,000.
The 7-day moving average of daily new cases in Nigeria has more than tripled in the past two weeks, from 140 to 460, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Isolation centers that were closed after a previous increase are being reopened in anticipation of large numbers of patients, according to the Nigerian Centers for Disease Control.
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