Perceptions and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines amongst undergraduate students in a tertiary institution in Lagos State.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the world, causing deaths in different countries. Fortunately, production of its vaccine has brought some tranquillity, and Nigeria was not left behind. This study aimed to determine the role of knowledge and perception towards the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine amidst undergraduate students of the University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out amongst 170 students at the University of Lagos using a multi-stage sampling method. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect information on demography, knowledge, perception, acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccine. Data were analysed utilising SPSS Version 26. The level of significance was at P < 0.05. Results: Majority of respondents 125 (73.5%) had good knowledge of COVID-19 vaccine and 87 (51.2%) respondents attributed source of information to social media. Although many 99 (58.2%) respondents had positive perceptions of the vaccine, few 16 (9.4%) had taken the vaccine. Less than quarter 24 (22.1%) planned to receive COVID-19 vaccine while majority 120 (77.9%) had no plans to, cite safety concerns. There was a statistically significant association between age (P = 0.001), level of training (P = 0.034) and uptake of COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion and Recommendations: The level of uptake of COVID-19 vaccine was poor amongst undergraduate students in tertiary institutions in Lagos. Age and level of training of respondents were factors associated with poor uptake. It is recommended that the section of university responsible for sharing of information amongst students organises risk communication activities targeted at specific areas about COVID-19 vaccine to improve vaccine uptake amongst students.

Epidemiological trends of coronavirus disease 2019 in Nigeria: From 1 to 10,000.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Nigeria was first reported on the 27th February 2020 and 95 days after, it had spread to 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with 10,162 confirmed cases. We reviewed the trends of the epidemic from the 27th February to the 31st May 2020, when it reached the 10,000th mark vis-à-vis government policies to contain the spread of the disease. METHODS: We used publicly available data from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control from 27th February 2020, when Nigeria recorded her first coronavirus disease 2019 case to the 31st May 2020. We used line graphs to describe the trends of the daily course of cumulative cases, discharges and deaths in states and nationally. The doubling time, transmission rates were inferred from these trends and the epidemiological curve generated was reviewed vis-a-vis the instituted government policies over the specified period. RESULTS: The epidemic curve in Nigeria has been on an upward trajectory as the number of cases crossed the 10,000 marks, 3 months after the first case was recorded. The first spike in the number of new cases was observed on the 21st April 2020, with 117 cases. The number of daily deaths within the study period was highest on the 2nd May 2020 (17 new deaths). Geo-political zone variations were also observed. Of the 63,882 screening tests conducted during the study period, 15.9% tested positive; the doubling time and transmission rates were 23.5 days and 1.0%, respectively, as at 31st May 2020. Since the lockdown measures were lifted in Lagos and the FCT on the 4th May 2020, the number of cases has been on a steady increase each week. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: In Nigeria, the epidemic curve has been on an upward direction since the first reported case and it took 3 months to reach 10,000 cases. We recommend a sustained drive in the enforcement of physical and social distancing and increase in testing capacity to flatten the epidemic curve.