COVID-19: Inbound Traveller Imported Deadly Delta Strain Into Nigeria – NCDC

• The variant has been detected in over 90 countries and is expected to spread to more countries.

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is responsible for most cases that have precipitated the renewed surge in infections across the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

EKO HOT BLOG had reported that the Nigerian Centre For Disease Control (NCDC), announced on Thursday that the deadly COVID-19 strain has now been discovered in the country.

The infectious diseases agency said it detected the confirmed case of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, also known as lineage B.1.617.2 in the traveller to Nigeria, following the routine travel test required of all international travellers and genomic sequencing at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory, Abuja.

Read also: NCDC Confirms Deadly Delta COVID-19 Strain In Nigeria

The variant has been detected in over 90 countries and is expected to spread to more countries.

NCDC’s Head of Communications, Yahya Disu, in the statement said the variant had been linked to a surge in cases in countries where “it is the dominant strain” in circulation.

“There are ongoing studies to understand the impact of the variant on existing vaccines and therapeutics.

As part of Nigeria’s COVID-19 response, NCDC has been working with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, African Centre for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, and other laboratories within the national networ, to carry out genomic sequencing.

“This is to enable the detection of variants of concern, and initiate response activities. All data on variants from Nigeria have been published on GISAID, a global mechanism for sharing sequencing data. Given the global risk of spread of the Delta variant, positive samples from international travellers to Nigeria are sequenced regularly,” the statement partly reads.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

COVID-19 Spreading In Africa At Record Speed – WHO

Global COVID-19 Deaths Cross Four Million

In a related development, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has said the state would not relent to punish international travellers evading COVID-19 isolation.

According to him, “Anybody who tries to bypass the Presidential Steering Committee regulations will have their passports deactivated and will face sanctions when they are brought to the attention of the law enforcement agencies.

“We have a number of people that we published in the newspapers who need to present themselves to the Lagos State Government and explain why they have chosen to beat the guidelines. We are in the process of applying sanctions to many people or deactivate their passports.

“We are expecting a large number of children returning to the country from Europe for the summer vacation. We know that the Delta strain is circulating in Europe and, therefore, these sanctions are very impor tant.”