The year 2020 was an unusual one in every sense of the word. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic made sure of this. To remove any doubt about the threat that the virus posed to every country in the world, the World Health Organisations (WHO) recognised the COVID-19 as a global pandemic.

Today, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic is global. There is hardly anyone who has not been affected by the pandemic to some degree. In a country like Nigeria, it has precipitated mental, emotional, social, business-related and financial impact. Nigeria is home to over 230 million people, the bulk of whom are young.

While the country has experienced relatively small numbers of COVID-19 deaths, the resurgence of a second wave is a cause for concern. Another cause for concern is the growing incidence of severe poverty and malnutrition. About 40 per cent of the nation’s population continues to live on less than $1.90 US dollars a day.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently released a poverty and inequality report which highlighted that over 83 million Nigerians are extremely poor. This report, which is a basis for measuring poverty and living standards in the country, is used to estimate a wide range of socio-economic indicators, including benchmarking of the Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, many children and families still lack access to affordable nutritious foods.

This often results in a lack of essential nutrients in their daily diet, which can lead to severe malnutrition and protein deficiency. Protein deficiency is a negative nutritional condition produced by a deficiency of proteins in the body. Experts indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn will probably further aggravate these issues. In many ways, the pandemic seems to have helped to shed light on what is really important in the world today, and that is good health. Bizwatch Nigeria.