Validation of Safety Guidelines Adopted for COVID – 19 in Nigeria: The Guidance and Counseling Perspective

Abstract

Background: This paper adopted scientific approach to validate the WHO/NCDC safety counseling guidelines to prevent the spread of the SARS-COV 2 coronaviruses in Nigeria in the guidance and counseling perspectives using the sequence characteristics of SARS-COV 2 in Nigeria as validation criterion. Methods: Five hypotheses were used to validate the safety counseling guidelines currently operational globally. Bioinformatics analysis of retrieved RdRP sequences was adopted. Results: All alternate hypotheses were accepted indicating the validity of each of the criterion. Indicators validated included the use of soap (foam) can dissolve the fatty layer of the virus protein coat through regular washing of hands. Heat (high temperature) above 26°C can melt the virus protect as well as hot water. Alkaline water or basic solution with high pH was found to destroy the virus protein coat. Alcohols based sanitizers was also found to dissolve the fat especially the outer lipid layer. High ultra violet light (extinction coefficient) exposures on any object harboring the virus was found to breakdown the viral protein coat while high molecular weight of the coronaviruses confines them to the nose mask or face shield on infected patients. Hence the advocacy for the use of personal protective equipment and the nose mask. The study also validated and revealed that coronavirus strain in Nigeria (MT159778.1) shows a high molecular weight (16289.82g/mol), Total number of negatively charged amino acid residues (11), Total number of positively charged amino acid residues (14), aliphatic index (95.45%), instability index (49.67%), G-C content (38.34%), Half-life (1.2 hrs), alpha helix (49.66%), extinction coefficient (15065m/mol), isoelectric point (8.33) and Hydropathicity (0.106). Conclusion: These are the validities that constitutes’ the guidance and counseling perspective on the WHO/NCDC issued safety guidelines towards preventing the spread of the COVID – 19 coronaviruses globally.