The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that the new subvariants of the Omicron variant, including EG.5 and BA.2.86, have not been detected in Nigeria. In a press statement issued on Saturday, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, the Director General of NCDC, stated that the organization is closely monitoring the situation.
The EG.5 variant, which is a sublineage of the omicron variant, has been identified in 51 countries worldwide, including China, the United States, and several European nations. However, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the risk assessment for the EG.5 variant indicates a low global risk. No changes in symptoms, clinical manifestations, or severity of illness have been associated with this variant.
Similarly, the BA.2.86 variant, a descendant lineage of the previously identified BA.2 variant, has not been found in Nigeria. This variant, also designated as a ‘variant under monitoring’ by the WHO, carries a significant number of mutations. Currently, the BA.2.86 variant has been reported in a limited number of countries, including the United Kingdom, Israel, Denmark, South Africa, and the United States. However, due to the limited number of identified cases, conclusive assessments of its virulence, transmission, and severity cannot be made at this time.
The NCDC’s COVID-19 Technical Working Group is actively monitoring the local, regional, continental, and global epidemiology of COVID-19, including the emergence of new variants. The organization’s influenza sentinel surveillance sites continue to provide vital information on the prevalence of COVID-19 in patients with influenza-like illness and severe respiratory illness. Furthermore, the NCDC is encouraging testing locations in the states to send positive samples for sequencing and continues to carry out genomics surveillance, despite low testing levels.
In unrelated news, the NCDC and its partners are implementing an enhanced COVID-19 testing exercise in four states to gather more detailed and complementary information about the circulating variants in Nigeria. The agency is also distributing COVID-19 rapid diagnostic kits to improve bi-directional COVID-19 testing.
It is important to note that the NCDC is reassuring the public that there is no immediate cause for unnecessary anxiety and panic. As reiterated by the organization, COVID-19 is here to stay and primarily affects those at high risk, such as the elderly and individuals with underlying chronic illnesses, including hypertension, diabetes, cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, and those with suppressed immune systems.
In conclusion, the NCDC is actively monitoring the situation, emphasizing the importance of testing and urging the public to remain calm and take necessary precautions to stay safe.
