The African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), has announced the detection of the deadly COVID-19 strain, which is currently ravaging India, in Nigeria.
The strain was detected in Osun and Edo states nearly three weeks ago and has been communicated to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The Centre notified NCDC through a notification letter dated April 25, 2021, and sent by Professor Christian Hapi of the ACEGID to the NCDC.
It reads in part, “We have found five sequences of the India B.1.617 in the country, specifically in Edo and Osun states.”
The Federal Government had on Monday announced fresh restrictions on gatherings at worship centers and banned nightclubs following reports that the devastating COVID-19 strain in South Africa had spread to 23 other countries and probably because of the detection of the Indian strains as well.
However, the good news is that the strain detected in Nigeria is the same as India’s but different in characteristics. Professor Hapi clarified that the strains in India have two more mutations than the one identified in Nigeria which makes the one in India more aggressive.
“What we have is the B1.617 from India. That is the variant they had but that variant has now evolved beyond the mutation that we identified.
“The one India evolved by two mutations. It is the same strain with India but their own now has a couple of mutations. So, it is the same as what we detected but also different in characteristics.”
However, experts said it was important for the government to announce the detection of the Indian strain and that there is a need to increase testing, as many states were no longer conducting tests for COVID-19.
