NCDC Dismisses Scare over New COVID-19 Variants

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that there is no cause for alarm over the emergence of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, named EG.5 and BA.2.86 in Nigeria.
It said in its statement on the new COVID-19 Subvariants, that there is nothing significantly new with the emerging variants of the virus which is now “mainly a problem for those at high risk – the elderly, those with underlying chronic illnesses’.
In a statement signed by the Director General of the NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, the Centre said it has been monitoring the new sub-variants (descendants) of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, named EG.5 and BA.2.86.

It also said that the EG.5 variant is a descendant of XBB.1.9.2, a descendant of Omicron.
“We urge fellow citizens including media practitioners to act responsibly and share only verified information. There is no need to cause unnecessary anxiety and panic.
“As we have consistently advised, COVID-19 is here to stay and is now mainly a problem for those at high risk – the elderly, those with underlying chronic illnesses especially hypertension, and diabetes, those on cancer treatment, organ transplant recipients and those whose immune systems are suppressed for one reason or the other,” it said.
NCDC said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had classified EG.5 as a “variant of interest” (VOI) and conducted a risk assessment which found that it poses a low risk at the global level.

NCDC further said that EG.5 has not been associated with any change in symptoms/clinical manifestation and has not produced an increase in severity of illness and/or hospitalisations or difference in death rates in reporting countries.
“EG.5 causes symptoms like those seen with other COVID-19 variants, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, and sore throat. So far, only one case of EG.5 has been seen in Africa, it has not been identified in Nigeria.
“The recently discovered/reported BA.2.86 is a descendent lineage of BA.2 (a sublineage of Omicron, also found in Nigeria in 2022),” said the Centre.
NCDC said since there have been few cases of the virus identified so far, there is not enough information to make conclusive assessments of virulence, transmission, and severity.

It said it did not expect the variants to be much different from other omicron descendants currently circulating.
“Although the ancestor, BA.2 has been previously found in Nigeria, no BA.2.86 variant has been identified in Nigeria,” it said.
NCDC however assured that it will keep Nigerians updated as may be required with scientifically sound and evidence-based information on any changes in SARS-COV-2 epidemiology.

NCDC said: “As of 7th August 2023, the EG.5 has been reported in 51 countries including China, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, and Spain.
“As of August 23, 2023, the BA.2.86 variant had been reported in a handful of countries – the United Kingdom, Israel, Denmark, South Africa, and the United States. It has been classified by the WHO as a “variant under monitoring” (VUM) because it has multiple genetic differences that make it substantially different from its ancestor, BA.2 and from other currently circulating XBB-derived SARS-CoV-2 variants.
In the statement, Adetifa said that NCDC’s COVID-19 Technical Working Group (COVID-19 TWG) is closely monitoring.
COVID-19 epidemiology – local, regional, continental, and global – including emerging variants.
“Our influenza sentinel surveillance sites continue to provide information on COVID-19 prevalence in patients with influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness.
“We have not observed any increase in the trend of COVID-19 in this patient group. We continue to carry out genomics surveillance even with the low testing levels and encourage testing locations in states to ensure their positive samples are sent on to the NCDC for sequencing.”
 In addition, Adetifa said NCDC and partners are working on implementing an enhanced COVID-19 testing exercise in four states to obtain complementary and more detailed information about circulating variants in the country.
He added that COVID-19 rapid diagnostic kits are being distributed for the purpose of improving bi-directional COVID-19 testing.
As part of the preventive mechanism, the NCDC said it is encouraging prompt testing to help identify cases with a high risk of becoming severely ill and risk of severe disease.
Also, the Centre is urging members of the public to use masks in crowded and other high-risk situations and get tested whenever any febrile illness and respiratory symptoms occur.