TheCable

In 2020, while the coronavirus disease was spreading across Nigeria, a myriad of myths were also circulating among the populace concerning the novel virus. While some citizens believed it is a disease of the rich, others were convinced that the hot weather in Africa would subdue the virus from wreaking havoc on the continent. There was a widespread belief that COVID-19 can only thrive in cold weather, hence the reason why there were high COVID-19 fatalities in countries with cold weather. With just a small number of recorded deaths in the country, it was believed that Nigeria’s hot temperature was keeping the virus at bay.

This claim was shared on social media platforms, instant messengers and other online platforms, prompting many citizens to disregard COVID-19 protocol and safety measures. At markets, churches and other public places, people flouted basic prevention measures, like wearing face masks and social distancing. This negligence contributed to a second wave of the virus in Nigeria with more casualties being recorded. Yet, some people still held on to that erroneous belief.

In March 2020, results of a survey by NOI Polls showed that 26 percent of Nigerians believed they were immune to COVID-19. While 40 percent said it is because they are ‘children of God’, 30 percent ascribed their immunity to strong genes. The country’s weather, 17 percent said, is too hot for COVID-19 to survive, while 8 percent said the strong herbs they drink can deal with the virus and 5 percent were of the opinion that it is a foreign disease.

The same month, Adeola Fowotade, a consultant virologist, claimed the hot weather in the country can suppress COVID-19, adding that the virus is most prevalent in colder climate during winter.

“There is a very high chance there will be some remission as temperature gets warmer in those temperate places. But for us with tropical climate, we believe that this outbreak might not go on for too long and might abate very soon,” she was quoted as saying.

“This is because the droplets generated by the virus cannot travel far and this virus is an envelope virus. Envelop viruses are very susceptible and cannot survive very long in hot climate.”

Research findings have been divided on the highly-debated topic. While some say that a hot temperature or weather does not play any significant role in the spread of COVID-19 infection, others insist that it does. But the position of the major health bodies remains that there is no sufficient evidence to prove that tropical weather has a way of fighting the spread of the virus.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had said that based on available evidence, “the virus causing COVID-19 can be transmitted in ALL AREAS, including areas with hot and humid weather”.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also stated that COVID-19 spreads in countries with both hot and humid climates, as well as cold and dry. Hence, the weather has no prominent role to play in suppressing the virus.

In December, the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 said Nigeria had entered the second wave. As of June 7, the country recorded 166,816 infections, with 163,190 discharged patients and 2,117 deaths.

Some countries with hot weather, like India, are currently battling severe cases of coronavirus infection. In March, climate scientists including the India Meteorological Department had predicted that the country would experience hotter weather and intense heatwave during most parts of the year. Yet, the hot temperature has not kept the country’s increasing COVID-19 infections at bay as the virus keeps mutating.

In April, India recorded more than 300,000 cases of COVID-19 — the highest single-day tally in the world. A month later, the Asian country recorded 401,229 new coronavirus infections in one day, with the highest single-day fatality count of 4,191 deaths.

Currently, India is the second country in the world with the highest rate of coronavirus infection with about 29 million infected and 349,229 dead. This casts doubt on the theory that hot weather can suppress the spread of the virus.

This report was produced as part of the Africa Resilience Network (ARN) programme with support from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), in partnership with the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) and Africa Uncensored.