COVID-19: No case of new subvariants of omicron variant identified in Nigeria – NCDC

The number of confirmed Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Africa has reached 4,330,666 as of Saturday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. The Africa CDC, the specialised healthcare agency of the African Union (AU), said the death toll from the pandemic stood at 115,191 while 3,888,495 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease. South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia, and Egypt are among the African countries with the most cases in the continent, according to the Africa CDC. South Africa has recorded 1,556,242 COVID-19 cases, the most among African countries, followed by Morocco, at 500,984 cases, and Tunisia at 268,837 cases, it was noted

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, on Saturday, said there was no identified case of the new subvariants of the Omicron variant of SARS CoV-2 virus, named EG.5r and BA.2.86 has not been identified in Nigeria.

The NCDC also assured Nigerians that the Agency is monitoring the new subvariants.

Disclosing these in an official press statement on the new COVID-19 Subvariants, the Director General of Director General Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, explained that the EG.5 variant is a descendant of XBB.1.9.2 (itself a descendant of Omicron).

Adetifa stated that as of 7th August 2023, the EG.5 has been reported in 51 countries including China, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, and Spain among others.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, has classified EG.5 as a “variant of interest” (VOI) and conducted a risk assessment which found this new variant poses a low risk at the global level. In addition, EG.5 has not been associated with any change in symptoms/clinical manifestation and has not produced an increase in severity of illness and/or hospitalisations or difference in death rates in reporting countries.

EG.5 causes symptoms like those seen with other COVID-19 variants, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, and sore throat. So far, only one case of EG.5 has been seen in Africa, it has not been identified in Nigeria.

Adetifa in the statement said: “The recently discovered/reported BA.2.86 is a descendent lineage of BA.2 (a sublineage of Omicron, also found in Nigeria in 2022).

“As of August 23, 2023, the BA.2.86 variant had been reported in a handful of countries – the United Kingdom, Israel, Denmark, South Africa, and the United States. It has been classified by the WHO as a “variant under monitoring” (VUM) because it has multiple genetic differences that make it substantially different from its ancestor, BA.2, and from other currently circulating XBB-derived SARS-CoV-2 variants. Since there are few cases identified so far, there is not enough information to make conclusive assessments of virulence, transmission, and severity. However, we do not expect it to be much different from other omicron descendants currently circulating. Although the ancestor, BA.2 has been previously found in Nigeria, no BA.2.86 variant has been identified in Nigeria.”

He added that the NCDC’s COVID-19 Technical Working Group (COVID-19 TWG) is closely monitoring COVID-19 epidemiology – local, regional, continental, and global – including emerging variants.

“Our influenza sentinel surveillance sites continue to provide information on COVID-19 prevalence in patients with influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness. We have not observed any increase in the trend of COVID-19 in this patient group. We continue to carry out genomics surveillance even with the low testing levels and encourage testing locations in states to ensure their positive samples are sent to the NCDC for sequencing.

Unrelated to the news of these emerging variants, the NCDC and partners are working on implementing an enhanced COVID-19 testing exercise in four states to obtain complementary and more detailed information about circulating variants in the country.

“In addition, COVID-19 rapid diagnostic kits are being distributed to improve bi-directional COVID-19 testing.”

He urged Nigerians including media practitioners to act responsibly and share only verified information.

“There is no need to cause unnecessary anxiety and panic. As we have consistently advised, COVID-19 is here to stay and is now mainly a problem for those at high risk – the elderly, those with underlying chronic illnesses, especially hypertension, and diabetes, those on cancer treatment, organ transplant recipients, and those whose immune systems are suppressed for one reason or the other.

“The actions required to protect our friends, families, and selves remain the same as before: Get tested for any febrile illness and respiratory symptoms regardless of how mild.

Prompt testing can help identify cases with a high risk of becoming severely ill and also provides samples for testing that provide information on circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and disease trends

“Ensure you and your loved ones make use of every opportunity the government has provided to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination protects against severe disease symptoms, hospitalisation, and death should you contract the virus. Continue the practice of good hand hygiene by washing hands regularly with soap under running water. Wear a mask if you have flu-like symptoms like coughing, sneezing, etc. If you are at risk of severe disease, use a mask in crowded and other high-risk situations.

Adetifa stated: “We continue to monitor situations around the globe and especially in countries where the new variant has been confirmed and keep Nigerians updated as may be required with scientifically sound and evidence-based information on any changes in SARS-COV-2 epidemiology and genomics that may threaten public health