Table VII.
Content of the 341 articles from widely read newspapers
| Themes | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Cases in Nigeria (those who have contracted COVID-19 in Nigeria or those who are being treated) | 59 (17.3) |
| Death rates in Nigeria (number and death rates from the COVID-19 scourge) | 42 (12.3) |
| The risk to healthcare workers (risk of treating patients) | 40 (11.7) |
| Concerns about Nigeria’s preparedness (fears expressed by healthcare workers about their readiness to handle COVID-19 patients; complaints about porous interstate border control systems; worries about inadequate isolation and treatment centres and reservations about some hospitals’ capacity to conduct the COVID-19 test) | 38 (11.1) |
| Government/Institutional measures and response (lockdown, closure of schools and other sectors of the economy) | 34 (10) |
| Public enlightenment and education (media messages in the mode of spread, signs, symptoms, risk factors, face mask, washing of hands, using hand sanitizer and social distancing) | 32 (9.4) |
| Fear, panic and anxiety (emotional responses that COVID-19 is causing across populations) | 28 (8.2) |
| Ethics (ethics of treating those with COVID-19 and measures to reduce its transmission, e.g. quarantine) | 21 (6.2) |
| Treatment and control (cases of recovery from COVID-19) | 19 (5.6) |
| Discrimination (discrimination against infected persons and states with the highest cases) | 12 (3.5) |
| Funding/cost of fighting COVID-19 (funds needed or provided to fight COVID-19) | 9 (2.6) |
| Helpers/volunteers (involvement/responses of other countries, international and non-governmental agencies) | 7 (2.1) |