A Day After PSC Refuted Omicron Variant In Nigeria, NCDC Announces Three Cases
THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has announced fresh 105 COVID-19 infections, as Nigeria joined the growing list of countries that have recorded the new Omicron variant, with the detection of three cases in the country.
It was a day after the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, at a World Press Conference, refuted a statement by the Canadian Government, that an Omicron variant was traced to a traveler from Nigeria.
These figures were made known by the NCDC in its daily report on COVID-19. The NCDC stated that three cases of the Omicron variant were discovered. According to NAN, the 105 additional cases was an increase from the 21 cases reported in the country the previous day, adding that the NCDC warned that Nigeria was at risk of registering high incidences of the new variant, due to neglect of preventive measures at airports and other points of entry in the country.
The latest additional cases, which were recorded in eight states and the FCT, showed that the country now has a total of 214,218 COVID-19 confirmed cases. The NCDC listed the states that recorded the new cases as Lagos (43), Gombe (21), FCT (16), Niger (10), Rivers (6), Plateau (5), Edo (2), Bauchi (1) and Kano (1). The NCDC said that 12 people had recovered from the infection as at last Tuesday, while the total number of discharged cases now stood at 207, 304 nationwide.
It further said there was one COVID-19 fatality reported last Tuesday, leaving the total fatality figure at 2,977. It was earlier reported that the NCDC confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, also known as B.1.1.529 lineage in Nigeria.
The new Omicron variant was reported to have been first discovered in South Africa, but has spread to other countries, such as the UK, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Australia, Israel and Hong Kong, among other countries.
WHO has listed Omicron as a “variant of concern” and countries around the world are now restricting travel from Southern Africa, where the new strain was first detected, as well as taking new precautions. The National Travel Advisory has also been revised by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 and now requires all inbound travelers to Nigeria to present a negative COVID-19 test result, done not more than 48 hours before departure. Pre-booking and payment for day two and day seven COVID-19 PCR tests are also prerequisites for travel, according to the NCDC.
