Updated: NCDC confirms first Omicron COVID-19 variant in Nigeria


The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control  (NCDC) has confirmed the first two cases of the Omicron variant in Nigeria.
NCDC Director-General, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, stated this in a press release on Wednesday.


He said in line with the routine travel tests required of all international travellers and genomic sequencing at the NCDC through its National Reference Laboratory, Abuja, the commission confirmed 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 travelers to Nigeria also identified the omicron variant among samples collected in October 2021,” he said.

The NCDC also stated that the two patients were asymptomatic and contact tracing had begun.