By John Ikani
As countries around the world try to figure out ways to deal with the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said it will not join countries imposing travel ban on some nations and regions.
Director-General of the centre, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa who disclosed this on Arise TV’s “The Morning Show” said regardless of his recommendations from a technical perspective, a ban was not on the cards for the NCDC.
According to him: “We are currently the subject of travel bans ourselves for reasons that are not driven by science. From the perspective of NCDC, we give technical advice, and this is based on risk assessments of transmission from countries where intending travellers are coming from.
“So, as recommended, if you follow science-driven process, you review the epidemiological situation in those countries, you review the genomic and surveillance data in those countries and then you make a decision based on the risk of importation and the risk of transmission.”
Adetifa encouraged Nigerians to get vaccinated, explaining that vaccines prevent transmission, reduces transmission if infections should occur and also protect severe disease and death.
He said, “In the last Peace and Security Council (PSC) press conference, I highlighted how almost all of the deaths in the last two months under review occurred in people who are unvaccinated. So vaccines have the benefits and I hope that with partners in the media, with civil society organisations and everybody else, we will continue to sensitise our fellow citizens to really make use of every opportunity that they have to get vaccinated.”
On measures taken so far by the federal government to curtail the spread of the new variant, Adetifa noted that surveillance was in top gear.
He said, “Countries are required to conduct a risk based assessment of transmission and we are enhancing surveillance in terms of looking at travellers, and ensuring that travellers adhere to all of the travel advisory regarding Day 2 testing and Day 7 testing for the appropriate category. In addition we are prioritising and sequencing, as recommended, for all incoming travellers.”
He further said, “The treatment centres across the country are still there, oxygen plants, oxygen supply, to take care of any potential increase in case numbers requiring hospitalisation. We’ve not recorded any fatalities. That there’s a new variant does not really change what we do
“It doesn’t change the effectiveness of the public health measures. As recommended, it doesn’t change the requirement for vaccination or the benefits that are likely to accrue for vaccination, regardless of what the variant goes over.”
