The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has stated that there is no evidence of the new sub-variants of the Omicron variant, named EG.5 and BA.2.86, being present in Nigeria.
The agency emphasized that it will continue to monitor the situation through genomics surveillance and encourage testing in states. The EG.5 variant has been reported in 51 countries, including China, the US, the UK, and Australia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified EG.5 as a ‘variant of interest’ and conducted a risk assessment, finding that it poses a low risk at the global level.
The BA.2.86 variant is also being monitored, with cases reported in a few countries. The NCDC urged the media and the public to share only verified information to avoid unnecessary anxiety and panic.