THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has enjoined all health facilities, both public and private, to increase the testing for COVID-19 on suspected patients.
In a statement late Sunday morning, signed by the Director-General of the agency, Dr Jide Idris, the agency said all positive samples should be sent to the NCDC laboratory and other public health accredited laboratories for sequencing.
He said the Covid-19 variant called SARS-CoV-2 XEC sub-variant had not yet been detected in Nigeria.
He said, “XEC variant which are descendants of the Omicron lineage JN.1 are yet to be detected in Nigeria.”
Dr Idris, said the recent detection of the variant—a descendant of the Omicron lineage—highlighted the ongoing evolution of the COVID-19 virus.
He said the statement was necessary to allay the fears created in the public space about the Covid-19 variant reportedly in circulation in Australia.
He said there are many variants of SARS-COVID-2 being monitored globally.
He stated that currently, the JN.1, classified as the Variant of Interest (VOI), was reported in 132 countries, including the United States, India, Australia, the United Kingdom, China, New Zealand, Thailand, Canada, and Singapore, and Nigeria, adding that “A VOI is not yet deemed to pose serious risk.”
However, Dr Idris said that the XEC is a subvariant of JN.1 and has been designated as the Variant Under Monitoring (VUMs) that is being watched for potential concerns and not considered to pose a significant risk, and not yet meet the criteria for designation as VOI.
He said, “There has been a reported rise in COVID-19 cases linked to the XEC variant, which has been detected so far in 43 countries across different continents, Europe, Asia, North America and recently in Botswana, Africa. ”
He said that though the JN.1 had been reported in Nigeria since January 2024, the XEC variant which are descendants of the Omicron lineage JN.1 was yet to be detected in Nigeria.
“The JN.1 sub-variants are dominant globally and are the fastest growing among currently circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2. The XEC subvariant has exhibited higher transmissibility as compared to other variants but has not shown evidence of increased severity,” he said.
The NCDC boss said the National COVID-19 Technical Working Group (COVID-19 TWG) would continue to monitor and conduct analyses of surveillance data both internationally and across the country to guide public health response activities.
Dr Jide said in line with the agency’s emergency preparedness and response strategy, it continually upgraded and updated its strategies and capabilities (surveillance, detection, stockpiling, training inclusive) for a quick and effective response.
“Along this line, a dynamic risk assessment / readiness assessment is being organized to guide us in developing a plan of action,” he added.
Dr Idris enjoined citizens, including media practitioners, to share only verified information responsibly.