NCDC tells health facilities to intensify checks for SARS-CoV-2 variant

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has called on health facilities, both public and private, to increase the testing for SARS-CoV-2 XEC sub-variant on suspected patients.

The call followed the detection of the variant in Australia.
 
The centre advised that all positive samples should be sent to NCDC laboratories and other accredited public health laboratories for sequencing.

NCDC also allayed fears that the new variant, which is a sub-lineage of Omicron, was already in Nigeria.

In a public advisory issued by the centre, NCDC noted that the recent detection of the variant had highlighted the ongoing evolution of the COVID-19 virus, adding that there were many variants of SARS-COVID-2 being monitored globally.

The statement reads: “Currently, the JN.1, classified as the Variant of Interest (VOI), is now reported in 132 countries, including the United States, India, Australia, the United Kingdom, China, New Zealand, Thailand, Canada, and Singapore, and Nigeria. A VOI is not yet deemed to pose serious risk. 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 has not yet met the criteria for designation as VOI.

“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. Though the JN.1 has been reported in Nigeria since January 2024, the XEC variants, which are descendants of the Omicron lineage JN.1 are yet to be detected in Nigeria.”

According to NCDC, JN.1 sub-variants are dominant globally and are the fastest growing among circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2. The XEC sub-variant has exhibited higher transmissibility as compared to other variants, but has not shown evidence of increased severity.

The  agency said the National COVID-19 Technical Working Group (COVID-19 TWG) had continued to monitor and conduct analyses of surveillance data, both internationally and across the country to guide public health response activities.

NCDC stated that in line with its emergency preparedness and response strategy, it had continuously upgraded and updated strategies and capabilities, including surveillance, detection, stockpiling and training for a quick and effective response. 

The agency urged the public not to panic, stressing that COVID-19 remained a significant risk, particularly for the elderly, individuals with underlying chronic illnesses, those undergoing cancer treatment, organ transplant recipients, and individuals with suppressed immune systems.