Background The first wave of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began when the first index case was reported in Nigeria on the 27th of February 2020, and since then, more than 68,000 cases of the disease were confirmed, with 1173 deaths as of November 30, 2020. Main body Daily situation reports from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control spanning February 27–November 30, 2020, were fully considered in this review. Further literature search was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar databases for articles related to response measures adopted by Nigeria. The instantaneous reproduction number (R) was then estimated as a metric to investigate the non-pharmaceutical intervention measures. Nigeria responded to COVID-19 pandemic by implementing anti-COVID-19 mitigation strategies in travel restrictions, social distancing, source control, contact tracing, self-isolation, and quarantine, as well as in clinical interventions. Our epidemiological model estimated the R-value of more than 1.0 in Nigeria and in each of all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Conclusion Nigeria implemented containment and mitigation measures in response to the first wave of COVID-19 and these measures may have contributed to the mild COVID-19 outcome in Nigeria compared to the global trend. However, inadequate PCR testing capacity, lack or suboptimal utilization of epidemic metrics like the virus reproduction number (R) to inform decision making, and premature easing of lockdown measures among others were major challenges to the effective implementation of the COVID-19 response measures.

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Background The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which caused about 80,000 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidences during its first wave in Nigeria is an enveloped virus, with infective properties that make it susceptible to inactivation, upon exposure to harsh conditions, including temperature. Moreover, temperature has been reported to influence the spread and viability of most known human coronaviruses. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of temperature variables on the transmission of COVID-19 in Nigeria during its first wave in the country. Methods Daily COVID-19 incidences for 300 days of the virus presence in Nigeria were obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, and used in the estimation of the instantaneous reproduction number (R). In this study, R was used to determine COVID-19 transmissibility, while the daily incidences reflected the spread rate of the virus in Nigeria. Meteorological data from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, and World Bank Climate Projection Data, were matched with each of R and COVID-19 incidences, to determine the correlation between them, using Spearman’s correlation coefficient (rs) test. Results R estimation of 1.4 reflects the prevailing transmissibility of COVID-19 in Nigeria. No significant and positive relationship was observed between COVID-19 incidences and temperature variables. However, Minimum temperature (℃) showed strongest association with R (rs = 0.9273; p = 0.001). Conclusion The strong relationship observed between R and minimum temperature, suggests that temperature could be a driver modulating the transmission routes of COVID-19 in Nigeria.