COVID-19: NCDC Raises Alarm as Traveller Imports Deadly Delta Variant into Nigeria
- Just when Nigerians felt they are done with the worst from COVID-19, there are new reasons to be afraid
- This is as a new variant of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 Delta, was detected in the country on Thursday, July 8
- The NCDC said the variant, also known as lineage B.1.617.2, was imported into Nigeria by an international traveller
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According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), a deadly variant of the COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 Delta, has been detected in the country.
The NCDC in a statement released by its head of communications, Yahya Disu, on Thursday, July 8, said the variant was diagnosed during genomic sequencing at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory, Abuja, Punch reports.
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Disu in the statement said the high transmissibility of the variant poses a serious global risk.
He stated:
"Given the global risk of spread of the Delta variant, positive samples from international travellers to Nigeria are sequenced regularly."
NCDC studying the impact of the variant
The NCDC spokesman, however, said that the centre is embarking on studies aimed at ascertaining the impact of the variant on available vaccines, Channels TV also reported.
Disu added that as part of its response to the disease, "NCDC has been working with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, African Centre for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, and other laboratories within the national network, to carry out genomic sequencing."
COVID-19: FG debunks vaccine magnetic conspiracy theory
Meanwhile, the federal government had debunked the claim that people who received the coronavirus vaccine could generate some form of a magnetic field in the vaccination site or also light up an electric bulb.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency's (NPHCDA) executive director, Faisal Shuaib, said some anti-vaccination individuals came up with the magnetic conspiracy theory.
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According to him, the conspiracy theorists aim to deceive people with their videos and claims. Shuaib said this at the NPHCDA weekly press briefing attended by Legit.ng reporter on Tuesday, July 6, in Abuja.
Source: Legit.ng
