US Plans to Conduct $2.1m Impact of COVID-19 Survey in Nigeria

The United States Government said it will be conducting a survey that will cost it a total of $2.1million to determine the extent of COVID-19 transmission in three selected states of Gombe, Enugu, and Nasarawa states in Nigeria.

The US government in a statement over the weekend said the survey will increase the current understanding of COVID-19 transmission and burden in these three states and inform COVID-19 response efforts of the Government of Nigeria and its partners.

According to the statement which was published on the twitter handle of the U.S Mission Nigeria, @USinNigeria, the survey will be conducted through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the University of Maryland, Baltimore which is one of its implementing partners in Nigeria, to provide technical assistance and oversee field implementation of the survey.

The survey which will be conducted between September and November with preliminary results expected to be released by December 2020, is part of the U.S. government’s bilateral efforts to improve the health and well-being of the Nigerian people.

The statement reads: “The survey will estimate the proportion of the population in these states who have ever been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 disease.

“This will be accomplished by measuring the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the blood of volunteers. The survey will also estimate the proportion of people who have the disease but are not showing any symptoms, determine risk factors for infection, and measure the intra-household transmission of COVID-19. “The survey will also estimate the prevalence of malaria and its potential relationship to SARS-CoV-2 infection. All members of selected households will be offered the opportunity to participate in the survey.

“If they agree, participants will answer a brief questionnaire, have their blood drawn and tested for the presence of COVID-19 antibodies, and receive a nasal swab and oropharyngeal swab to test for acute COVID-19. They will also have a rapid malaria test and receive malaria treatment if the test is positive.”