Nigerian Center for Disease Control, NCDC, has confirmed 3 cases of Omicron, a novel COVID-19 variant.
The NCDC said in a statement on Wednesday that it discovered the strain using genomic sequencing of positive samples in 3 tourists from South Africa who entered the country last week.
The World Health Organization, WHO, has designated the novel variant of concern due to its increased transmissibility and risk of re-infection.
Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, Director General of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, asks states to strictly adhere to preventive measures while ramping up sample collection and testing, particularly with authorized Antigen-based Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT).
Additionally, it recommends Nigerians be vaccinated and follow established safety precautions.
The statement states that plans have been taken to notify their country of origin in order to initiate an in-country reaction.
On Wednesday, the federal government barred unvaccinated workers from their offices, as GL 12 and below, who have been working from home since March, were directed to resume fully Dec. 1.