Omicron variant of coronavirus don dey known for at least 24 kontries around di world.

Dis na according to World Health Organization latest update on di new coronavirus variant [Omicron].

India, Ghana, Saudi Arabia and di UAE dem among di latest kontries to confam dia first cases of Omicron as at Thursday 2 December, 2021.

Oda kontries wey include UK, US and Germany don also get report of pipo wey dey infected with di new variant.

For Africa, na di rainbow nation dey lead ontop number of cases of infection wit di new variant.

Dr John Nkengasong, di head of African Union health watchdog dey call for moderation ontop di way di world dey react to di new coronavirus variant.

Omicron variant first dey reported to World Health Organization (WHO) by South Africa a week ago.

African nations wey don record Omicron

Four African kontries na im don record di Omicron variant of Coronavirus.

Africa Center for Disease Control Weekly COVID-19 briefing on 2 December 2021 na im confam dis figure.

Dr John Nkengasong wey be di Director of di Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) tok dis one during im Thursday briefing.

And di kontries include;

South Africa

Dr Angelique Coetzee, president of di South African Medical Association na im first alert South African authorities about dis new variant of coronavirus on 24 November, 2021.

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

Dr Coetzee 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.

• How kontris across di world dey react to di new Covid strain

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

Presently, as at today 2 December 2021, health officials for South Africa say Omicron now don become dominant inside South Africa and dey push sharp increase in new infections.

South Africa don record 11535 new infections in di last 24 hours.

Dis number increase from 8500 cases recorded on Wednesday 1 December, 2021.

44 pipo die on Thursday 2 December alone, for di latest daily figures.

Dis don bring di total to 89,915 deaths to date for inside di rainbow nation.

Botswana

On di 26, November 2021 Botswana Ministry of health and wellness issue one statement on di new covid-19 variant.

Di ministry say dem detect di new virus from four foreign nationals wey enta Botswana on di 7th November 2021 on diplomatic mission.

Four of dem test positive for Covid-19 on November 11 as dem dey prepare to return.

Further genomic sequencing wey dem do on di samples confam di virus as B.1. 1. 529 on 24 November 2021.

“Although all di four cases don leave di kontri, contact tracing dey go on.

“All contacts wey di kontri don so far identify, no get covid-19 symptoms and don test negative for Covid-19,” di ministry tok.

Nigeria

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confam di first case of Omicron variant on Wednesday 1 December, 2021.

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

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

Di NCDC Director General explain 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, make arrangement to notify dia kontri of origin to also begin in kontri response.

Ghana

Ghana start dey explore contact tracing afta dem record first cases of Covid-19 Omicron variant on Thursday 2 December, 2021.

Ghanaian detect di Omicron variant along di entry borders from pipo wey dey travel from Nigeria den South Africa.

Director General for Ghana Health Service, Dr Kumah Aboagye say;

“Through di robust testing for Kotoka International Airport, Ghana detect di Omicron variant already wey dey come from Nigeria den South Africa.”

Di minister say now e dey mandatory for all civil servants, including health workers, security personnel, and teachers, to collect vaccine against Covid-19.

Omicron variants 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.

Coetzee tell BBC earlier dis week 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.

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.

Di patient and oda family members test positive for covid and as di doctor explain, all of dem get “very, very mild” symptoms.

Oda patients wit similar symptoms present demsef throughout di day.

Dr Coetzee come decide to alert di Department of Health vaccine advisory committee because she sef dey on it.

How to test for Omicron virus variant

Na 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 di lab wey dem carry di samples go, some of dem dey wey get di technology wey go fit find 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.

Dem 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.

Coronavirus mutations, how Africa dey cope

Na eight point six million pipo so far dey infected wit covid inside Africa, according to di African Centre for Disease Control.

Dis na di total figure from wen di pandemic start until now wey e don get different variants.

So far na about 223 thousand deaths dem don record inside di continent.

Mauritius don enta fifth wave of di Coronavirus, Dr John Nkengasong, di head of African Union health watchdog, tok.

E tok on Thursday say 26 African kontris don enta fouth wave of Covid 19 pandemic.

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Ethiopia na im get some of di high cases as per kontri by kontri level for di continent.

A new hope now be say one company don get license to manufacture Johnson and Johnson vaccine for South Africa, Dr Nkengasong announce on Thursday.

Dis go help fight di coronavirus spread. And e add say nowadays access to vaccines no be problem.

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 be WHO latest informate about Omicron

Di World Health Organization (WHO) don warn say Omicron coronavirus variant fit cause high risk of infection rate around di world

Di variant fit lead to serious consequences for some regions, WHO tok on Monday.

“Covid-19 neva finish wit us yet,” dis na di warning from head of di organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Dr Ghebreyesus tok say scientists around di world dey work to discover if di new variant dey associated wit higher transmission, risk of reinfection and how e dey react to vaccines.

E add say no deaths wey don dey linked to di new variant yet.