Omicron variant symptoms: Nigeria detect first case – See wetin you need sabi about Omicron variant

Virus

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Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) don confam di first case of Omicron variant for Nigeria.

Di oga kpata-kpata of di agency, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa for statement say dem identify two cases of of di Omicron variant from travellers wey enta Naija from South Africa within last week.

Oga Adetifa explain give say dem detect di cases dem afta genomic sequencing wey dem cari out for NCDC National Reference Laboratory for Abuja.

E say even though di two cases wey dem find out now no dey show any symptom dem don start to attend to dem clinically and dem don begin to do contact tracing, dem don make arrangement to notify dia kontri of origin to also begin in country response.

Dem first identify di Omicron variant for South Africa and authorities believe say e dey highly transmissible, but e neva dey clear yet how deadly e be to public health.

Becos of dis, kontris don begin put back restrictions to contain di spread of di virus as dem don report cases for some kontris like; Canada, UK, Portugal, Belgium and Netherlands and kontris for southern Africa.

Omnicron variant symptoms

Dr Angelique Coetzee, president of di South African Medical Association, say so far patients wey dey infected wit di new omicron variant get very mild symptoms.

E tell BBC say: “We neva put anyone for hospital yet. I don speak to oda colleagues and di picture na di same.

Na Dr Coetzee first alert South African authorities about dis new variant of coronavirus.

Lab tests come later confam say she dey right and WHO come tok say dis na variant of concern.

Symptoms of Omicron

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Dr Angelique Coetzee during interview with BBC

Di doctor explain say di tin start on 18 November, wit one patient wey feel tired and dey experience body aches for many days.

“E get small headache, e no really get sore throat, e describe am like itch, no cough, no loss of taste or smell,” she tok.

Dr Coetzee find out say dis symptoms dey unusual and decide to get quick test for im office.

How to test for Omicron Covid Variant

Symptoms of Omicron Variant: New Covid 19 variant latest upadate

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Di nose and throat swabs wey dem dey do for di polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests wey dem dey send go lab go determine weda you get coronavirus.

Afta dat, e depend on d lab wey dem carry di samples go, some of dem dey wey get di technology wey go fit fnd weda wetin you get na Omicron variant or Delta variant.

Howeva no be all labs get am.

To test for di variant, di test go look for three genes wey connect to parts of di vaccine.

Dey be, spike (S), nucleocapsid or inner area (N2) and envelope or outer shell (E).

If dem detect di S gene, e mean say possibility dey say na Omicron so e og go for more testing.

Wetin be di difference between Omicron and oda variants?

Di Omicron variant get plenti different mutations wey human neva see before, and many wey dem don see.

Large number of dem dey on di spike protein of di virus, wey be di target of most vaccines, and dat na di main concern.

For standard tests, Omicron get wetin dem know as one “S-gene dropout” wey dey make tracking positive cases wey resemble di variant very easy.

But no be all “S-gene dropouts” go end up be omicron – full genomic sequencing dey needed to be sure.

Wetin state goments gatz do?

NCDC oga don ask di states goment dem to put in place measure to prevent community transmission of di omicron variant.

E say states kontinu to collect samples and ensure say pipo get access to testing centres so dat pipo wey dia bodi dey do dem anyhow fit go to di centre to run test and dey sure of dia status.

Dr Adetifa say make dem also use di approved Antigen-based Rapid Diagonistic Test to increase rapid testing of pipo for public places dem, schools wit accommodation, work place and campus.

E also advise Nigerians make dem get dia vaccination and adhere to all di Covid 19 protocol dem sake of say to prevent di variant to spread dey very important

‘No vaccination card, no entry’

Civil servants staff without Covid vaccination no dey allowed to enter Federal secretariat for Abuja

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Civil servants staff without Covid vaccination bin no dey allowed to enter Federal secretariat for Abuja, Nigeria

Di Nigerian goment don start di enforcement of mandatory vaccination against Covid-19 for all civil servants.

For di Head of Service section of di secretariat, dem no allow di staff dem to go inside di office except dem show say dem get dia vaccination card to prove say dem truly take di vaccine or show PCR test result before dem go allow dem inside.

Those wey dem no allow inside queue up for di different vaccination Centre to take dia jab.

Helen Daniel wey be Civili servant say she bin dey fear na im make she bin no go take di vaccine but now wey dem no allow am go inside, she decide to take di vaccine today.

Anoda staff, Happiness Ogbonya say she bin no take di vaccine becos she no first access di vaccination centres.

But she gatz take di vaccine dis morning becos dem no allow am access to her office.

She say to take di vaccine no suppose dey mandatory but optional