The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) is closely monitoring the emergence of new sub-variants of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Director-General, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, gave the assurance on Saturday in Abuja.
These sub-variants, named EG.5 and BA.2.86, have been reported in several countries.
While the EG.5 variant has been classified as a “variant of interest” with a low global risk, the BA.2.86 variant is currently under monitoring due to its substantial genetic differences from other circulating variants.
NAN reports that an update from the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that at least two cases of sub-variant BA.2.86 have been identified in the U.S.
This prompted the centre to issue a risk-assessment summary on Aug. 23, explaining what is known about it so far.
Adetifa said that the NCDC, along with its partners, was actively conducting surveillance and implementing enhanced testing measures to gather more information about these emerging variants.
“It is important for the public to stay informed with verified information and continue practising preventive measures to protect themselves and their loved ones,” he said.
He noted that the subvariants, EG.5 and BA.2.86, had been reported in countries such as China, U.S., Republic of Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, United Kingdom, France, Portugal and Spain.
“The EG.5 variant, which is a descendant of XBB.1.9.2, has been identified in 51 countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified EG.5 as a Variant of Interest (VoI).
“However, a risk assessment conducted by the WHO has determined that this new variant poses a low risk at the global level.
“It is important to note that EG.5 has not been associated with any change in symptoms or clinical manifestations, nor has it resulted in an increase in the severity of illness, hospitalizations, or death rates.
“The symptoms caused by EG.5 are similar to those seen with other COVID-19 variants, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, headache and sore throat,” he said.
