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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has considers it necessary to make a statement to allay the fears created in the public space about the Covid-19 variant reportedly in circulation in Australia.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its Director General, Dr. Jide Idris, the NCDC informed that XEC was a subvariant of JN.1 and was being watched for potential concerns. The statement explained that, “the recent detection of the SARS-CoV-2 XEC sub-variant—a descendant of the
Omicron lineage—has highlighted the ongoing evolution of the COVID-19 virus. For the information of our people, there are many variants of SARS-COVID-2 being monitored globally.
“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) i.e. being watched for potential concerns and not considered to pose a significant risk, and not yet meet the criteria for designation as VOI”.
The NCDC said, there had been a reported rise in COVID-19 cases linked to the XEC variant, which had been detected so far in 43 countries across different continents, Europe, Asia, North America and recently in Botswana, Africa.
It said though the JN.1 had been reported in Nigeria since January 2024, the XEC variant which were descendants of the Omicron lineage JN.1 were yet to be detected in Nigeria.
Furthermore, the JN.1 sub-variants were dominant globally and were the fastest growing among currently circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2. The XEC subvariant has exhibited higher transmissibility as compared to other variants but has not shown evidence of increased severity.
In addition, NCDC assured that the National COVID-19 Technical Working Group (COVID-19 TWG) would continue to monitor and conduct analyses of surveillance data both internationally and across the country to guide public health response activities.
“In line with our emergency preparedness and response strategy, we have continuously upgraded and updating our strategies and capabilities (surveillance, detection, stockpiling, training inclusive) for a quick and effective response. Along this line, a dynamic risk assessment / readiness assessment is being organized to guide us in developing a plan of action.
“Meanwhile, we urge all health facilities, both public and private, to increase the testing for COVID-19 on suspected patients. All positive samples are encouraged to be sent to the NCDC laboratory and other public health accredited laboratories for sequencing”, NCDC instructed.
The agency therefore urged citizens, including media practitioners, to share only verified information responsibly.
“There is no need for unnecessary anxiety or panic. COVID-19 remains 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”, the statement said.
