COVID- 19: NCDC confirms deadly Delta variant in Nigeria

• WHO: Africa records worst pandemic week • Over 20m Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer- Biontech vaccine doses expected from U. S.

THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control ( NCDC), yesterday, said it has detected a confirmed case with the SARS- COV- 2 Delta variant, also known as lineage B. 1.617.2. The NCDC in a statement said the variant was detected in a traveller to Nigeria, following the routine travel test required of all international travellers and genomic sequencing at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory, Abuja.

The deadly Delta variant is recognised by the World Health Organisation ( WHO) as a variant of concern, given its increased transmissibility. The variant has been detected in over 90 countries and is expected to spread to more countries, according to the NCDC.

The NCDC Head of Communications, Dr Yahya Disu, in the statement said the variant had also been linked to a surge in cases in countries where it is the dominant strain in circulation.

“There are ongoing studies to understand the impact of the variant on existing vaccines and therapeutics. As part of Nigeria’s COVID- 19 response, NCDC has been working with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, African Centre for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, and other laboratories within the national network, to carry out genomic sequencing.

“This is to enable the detection of variants of concern, and initiate response activities. All data on variants from Nigeria have been published on GISAID, a global mechanism for sharing sequencing data. Given the global risk of spread of the Delta variant, positive samples from international travellers to Nigeria are sequenced regularly,” the statement read.

THIS is as Africa recorded its worst pandemic week ever, surpassing the second wave peak during the seven days ending on July 4, 2021. Yet, as the COVID- 19 cases climb sharply, there are signs of progress on vaccine deliveries to the continent.

According the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the worst is yet to come as the fast- moving third wave continues to gain speed and new ground. Africa has just lived through its most devastating week of the pandemic, but the worst is yet to come as the third wave gathers pace on the continent, WHO said yesterday.

Cases are doubling every 18 days, compared with every 21 days only a week ago, she said during a virtual press conference, adding that “the end to this precipitous rise is still weeks away.”

Coronavirus cases have been rising in Africa since the start of the third wave on the continent on May 3. During the week ending July 4, more than 251,000 new COVID- 19 cases were recorded on the continent, a 20% increase over the previous week and a 12% jump from the previous January peak.

Sixteen African countries are now seeing a resurgence of the virus, with the more contagious Delta strain detected in 10 of them. South Africa is the worst- hit country in Africa, with new daily infections hitting record highs of 26,000 cases, fuelled by the Delta variant.

Vaccination rates remain sluggish, with only 16 million people, 2% of the African population, fully vaccinated.