Overview of COVID-19 Response in Kaduna State, Nigeria, March-July 2020

The last six months have seen concerted efforts by government, development partners, communities, and individuals to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc in all the continents, from Asia, Europe, Africa, America to Australia. Nigeria recorded its first case of COVID-19 on 27 February 2020. Kaduna State, the former headquarters of the defunct northern region, with a total population of 10 million citizens, has recorded 1,457 confirmed cases and 21 deaths of COVID-19 as of 31 July 2020.In line with the national guidance, Kaduna State activated the COVID-19 Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) with the confirmation of a case to coordinate the response. The EOC developed an Incident Action Plan (IAP) with nine strategic pillars, including coordination, surveillance, and epidemiology, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), case management, risk communication, logistics and supplies, laboratory, the point of entry, and research. COVID-19 is real, has maimed citizens, and claimed many lives. The economic, social, and human losses are enormous, and recession stares us in the face. We have no cure or vaccines to deal with the pandemic yet, so prevention and adherence to proven measures by citizens, corporate organizations, and the government to stem the incidence of the virus must be accepted as the new way of living. The challenges are daunting, but consultation, cooperation, and communication among citizens, corporate organizations, and government remain essential to finding the strength, resolve, and shared purpose to cultivate useful guidelines and measures to keep individuals, organizations and government running.