Coronavirus: No Delta variant in Nigeria – NCDC

THE Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), has said Nigeria has no case of COVID-19 Delta variant that was first detected in India.

  The highly contagious delta variant is the fastest and fittest coronavirus strain that will “pick off” the most vulnerable people. It has the potential “to be more lethal because it’s more efficient in the way it transmits between humans.

 The NCDC Director-General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, revealed this at the national briefing of the COVID-19 Presidential Steering Committee on Monday in Abuja.

The variant has been identified in at least 92 countries and is considered the “fittest” variant yet of the virus that causes COVID-19, with its enhanced ability to prey on the vulnerable – particularly in places with low vaccination rates.

He said that the resurgence of cases seen across other African countries was being driven by the Delta variants.

“In Nigeria, we haven’t found such variant of concern, we looked at 40 new sequences last week. And just to be sure we are yet to identify any as we keep looking,” he explained.

Ihekweazu stressed that the good news is that the vaccines available in the country at the moment are still very effective against the delta variant.

“So as long as we have access to the vaccine and carry out the public health measures as much as possible, including the travel restrictions, put in place by the presidential steering committee, we should be able to mitigate the risk of this virus in Nigeria,” he assured.