6th February, 2022
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain as three deaths were recorded on Saturday.
Daily cases rose to 145 in contrast to the 35 logged on Friday.
The agency said while the Omicron variant is the dominant variant in the country, ‘BA.2,’ the sub-variant of the strain, is more prevalent in India now.
“The B.1.1.529 lineage of COVID-19 was named Omicron.
‘However, it was discovered later that this lineage has certain sub-variations. The three most common types are: “B.1.1.529.1 (BA.1– currently predominant), B.1.1.529.2 (BA.2 – raised concerns) and (B.1.1.529.3 (BA.3).
“It could be more infectious, but there has been no evidence that flags it as more harmful,” it added.
The World Health Organization (WHO), on February 1, said the BA.2 sub-variant has been detected in 57 countries, predominantly in Asia and Europe.
Out of the 145 COVID cases registered on Saturday, Imo state led with 65.
Lagos reported 36 cases, Ondo 20 and Kano 6.
Osun and Rivers registered six cases each.
The FCT logged three cases, while Delta, Kaduna, and Ogun, had one each.
In all, nine states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) reported new cases.
While confirmed infections stood at 253,685, the death toll also rose to 3,139.
The discharged now totalled 230,126.