The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC on Wednesday morning confirmed the first cases of Omicron variant in Nigeria.
The disease centre said the two cases of the variant were discovered through “genomic sequencing.”
The NCDC said efforts are in top gear to strengthen surveillance in the country and curb its spread.
The statement reads in part, “In line with the routine travel tests required of all international travellers and genomic sequencing at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control through its National Reference Laboratory, Abuja, confirms Nigeria’s first case of the Omicron variant.
“Genomic sequencing of positive cases from routine day two testing for travellers to Nigeria, identified two cases of Omicron variant among travellers from South Africa, who arrived in Nigeria last week.
“Retrospective sequencing of previously confirmed cases among travellers to Nigeria, also identified the omicron variant among samples collected in October 2021″.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said two cases of the new mutation were detected among two travellers who arrived from South Africa last week.
Meanwhile, the announcement came as Ugur Sahin, the CEO of COVID-19 vaccine-maker BioNTech, said that while the Omicron variant could lead to more vaccinated people becoming infected, they would likely remain protected against severe illness.