By Bola Olajuwon, Frank Ikpefan, Abuja, Nsa Gill, Calabar
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it is not yet clear whether the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, is more transmissible or causes more severe disease compared to other variants.
Omicron, which has been detected in a growing number of countries and regions worldwide, has been prompting governments to tighten their restrictions and impose new travel bans.
Two people who travelled to Nigeria tested positive in Canada
The variant has sparked concerns among the public as two people in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa have tested positive for the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19.
According to the Ontario provincial government on Sunday, the two people had recently travelled to Nigeria.
A statement issued by Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott and the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Kieran Moore said: “Ottawa Public Health is conducting case and contact management and the patients are in isolation.’’
WHO, experts assessing Omicron threat
With cases popping up in more countries, WHO and experts sought to assess the true nature of the threat.
Researchers in South Africa announced its discovery last week, which resulted in multiple countries slamming the door shut to travel to that region.
That has sparked recriminations because there was no proof that the virus first developed there.
WHO, in a statement, said its experts, researchers in South Africa and around the world are currently conducting studies to better understand Omicron.
According to WHO, the experts are studying to understand the aspects of Omicron, but as of right now, it is not clear whether it is more transmissible compared to other variants, including Delta.
Anne von Gottberg of South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said researchers there uploaded the data sequence onto a global website, which gave the first hints of a new version of the virus with multiple mutations, the trait that has made so many scientists so worried.
“It’s the information together that was independently detected and uploaded that made us all speak altogether,” she said.
The revelation also helped explain why the region was seeing such a rapid increase in case counts after a period of relative calm.
Countries to discuss pandemic preparedness treaty
The 194 member states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) are to meet on Monday to consider a proposal to improve global preparedness for the next pandemic.
Germany’s diplomatic mission in Geneva tweeted that countries had agreed on a draft decision that will launch treaty negotiations and set out a timeline.
The draft document describes a decision to establish an intergovernmental body to negotiate a “WHO convention, agreement or other international instruments on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response’’.
The WHO said placing travel bans that target Africa owing to the Omicron COVID-19 variant will affect global solidarity.
More countries take preventive measures
To prevent a potential pandemic resurgence fueled by the new variant, countries around the world have taken new preventive measures or tightened their existing restrictions.
Countries like Austria and the Czech Republic confirmed their first cases of Omicron yesterday, the latest on a long list, while multiple others added to their counts.
In South Africa, virologist Salim Abdool Karim estimated there could be 10,000 new coronavirus cases by the end of the week.
France has decided, along with other European Union countries, to suspend flights from seven Southern African countries.
British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said mandatory mask-wearing should come into force from today.
The British government, at the weekend, added South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia to the country’s travel red list.
The National Centre for Disease Control of Libya also on Sunday announced new travel restrictions due to the Omicron variant.
It recommended Libyans not to travel to countries where the new variant has been detected.
Jordan has also announced that travellers from South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, and Botswana are banned from entry into the country.
Ayade suspends Calabar Carnival for second year
Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade yesterday confirmed that the annual Carnival Calabar will not hold this year.
This would be the second year that the carnival would not hold. It was suspended last year following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ayade announced the suspension of this year’s event at a meeting in the State Executive Council Chamber, following discovery of Omicron variant in many countries.
The meeting was attended by carnival band leaders, Speaker of the House of Assembly Eteng Jones Williams, members of the state Executive Council, local government chairman from the 18 council areas.
NYSC to decamp Corps members for protocols’ flouting
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) yesterday vowed to decamp any prospective corps member, who flouts protocols put in place to fight the pandemic.
The scheme urged corps members to adhere strictly to the non-pharmaceutical safety protocols of COVID-19 as the world battles the new variant.
NYSC Director-General Brig-Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim gave the warning during a nationwide virtual address to the 2021 Batch ‘C’ Stream Two prospective corps members and camp officials.
In a statement yesterday by the NYSC Deputy Director Press and Public Relations, Emeka Mgbemena, the DG advised the PCMs to avoid complacency on COVID-19, adding that it is mandatory for corps members to abide by the Federal Government deadline on COVID-19 vaccination.
AU Commission, NEPAD, Kenya, AfDB postpone conferences
African Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), African Union Commission , Kenya Government have postponed the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) Week, which was scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya from December 6 to 10.
Also yesterday, the African Development Bank (AfDB) group postponed indefinitely, the 2021 Africa Investment Forum (AIF) scheduled for Dec. 1 to Dec. 3, in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. The AIF is the investment Forum for the continent.
PIDA Week Organising Team, in a statement sent to The Nation yesterday, said it has been determined prudent to postpone PIDA Week pending further clarity on the situation following recent developments relating to COVID-19 and concerns around wellness and safety of travellers, and in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
AfDB President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, in a statement issued yesterday in Abidjan, said the postponement was in relation to travel restrictions arising from the emergence of the Omicron variant.
One billion vaccine doses for Africa, says China
Meanwhile, Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, told African leaders in a videoconference that his country was prepared to direct 1 billion coronavirus vaccine doses to the continent, 600 million doses as donations, while another 400 million would be produced by joint undertakings.
The goal is to get African vaccination rates higher, said Xi, noting an African Union goal of getting 60 per cent of the population vaccinated this year, even though the vaccination rate is in single digits in large areas of the continent.
To help more, China is prepared to send 1,500 medical experts to help in Africa.
Biontech announces adapted vaccine for variant
The German vaccine manufacturer, Biontech, has announced that it is developing an adapted vaccine.
The vaccine is to serve as a precautionary measure while simultaneously carrying out research on the nature of the new Omicron variant of the Coronavirus.
“To avoid wasting time, we are tackling these two tasks in parallel until the data is available and we have more information on whether the vaccine needs to be adapted or not,’’ a Biontech spokeswoman told dpa.
