Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu.

…Covid-19: UK variant not in Nigeria, but… NCDC

…We are investigating emergence of mutant coronavirus strains — Africa CDC

…Economic lockdown inevitable after Christmas, unless—NCDClFG rolls out measures for UK, S’African returnees

…To publish passport details of travellers who evaded COVID test

…30 persons test positive in one day in Nasarawa

…Sanwo-Olu out of isolation, says staff lost to virus on Xmas eve, bans cross-over services

By Sola Ogundipe, Health Editor, Olasunkanmi Akoni,  Johnbosco Agbakwuru,  Omeiza Ajayi, Luminous Jannamike, David Odama

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, yesterday, said that the new strain of the COVID-19 virus now raging in the UK has not been found in the country, but the search was on.

This came as Head of  Africa CDC, Dr John Nkengasong, said the body was investigating emergence of mutant coronavirus strains on the continent.

NCDC also warned that Nigeria may go into 2021 with a full-blown healthcare crisis necessitating nationwide economic lock-down, unless there is strict enforcement of COVID-19 protocols around event centres and social gatherings during the Christmas season.

The Federal Government has, meanwhile, rolled out new containment measures against importation of COVID-19, particularly from the United Kingdom and South Africa, saying returnees from both countries are required to present two documents before boarding.

The Presidential Task Force, PTF, on COVID -19, said it would  soon publish the passport numbers of 100 travellers, who refused to undergo the mandatory COVID-19 test after returning to the country.

Meanwhile, the second wave of the virus has hit Nasarawa State, with more than 30 persons testing positive in one day, the state government said, adding that so far, it has recorded 15 deaths, including former provost of the College of Education, Akwanga, Dr Rebecca Umaru since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Also, as the second wave of coronavirus infections sweeps across the world, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Africa CDC, says it is investigating the emergence of new mutant strains of coronavirus on the continent and in Europe.

This came as President Muhammadu Buhari  canceled hosting the usual Christmas homage by religious and community leaders.

Meanwhile, Governor  Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, yesterday, announced his recovery from the virus and self-isolation after 14 days of treatment.

We don’t have the UK strain here yet, says Ihekweazu

On the global conversation on the new strain of virus discovered in the United Kingdom UK, Director General,  Dr Chikwe Iheakwazu,  at the Presidential Taskforce PTF on Covid-19, briefing, said: “Over the last few days, we have monitored reports of the virus mutating in the UK, South Africa and some other countries but it is important to establish some facts about what we know, what we do not know and what we are willing to learn over the next few years.

“The most important fact to put out there to calm everybody’s nerves is that viruses mutate all the time.

“We haven’t found that UK strain but also, it is not something we have been looking for on the go. To find that, you have to do sequencing, and our focus has not been on sequencing. We did some sequencing in the past but we haven’t found that. We only found leads that are similar but not the same. However, we are doing more sequencing. Is it possible that they are circulating? Yes. This is because there is a lot of travel between the UK and Nigeria,” he added.

He said the NCDC will collaborate with stakeholders to collect new samples for sequencing in order to determine their variant.

“This is ongoing work; it cannot happen in a hurry. It is very complex. Sequencing is not a straight-forward business; which is why we have only a few centres that are able to do it.”

He also urged states to reopen their test centres, saying NCDC alone cannot conduct all COVID-19 tests sent in from states. According to him, the centre is working on adopting the use of Rapid Diagnostic Test Kits as from next year in order to scale up testing in the country.

We are investigating mutant coronavirus strains, says Africa CDC

Nkengasong, who spoke, yesterday, during a press conference, noted that an emergency meeting of the agency and other stakeholders is billed to hold later this week.

The development comes as infections surge in several countries. In the last week, Africa reported more than 129,000 new coronavirus cases and 3,000 deaths.

Nkengasong who allayed fears over the new coronavirus variants, said there is no need to restrict travel or trade during the Yuletide even as he explained that new variants would continue to emerge for several reasons.

“We all know there is a new variant reported in South Africa, and we also know that a variant of very similar lineages has been reported in the UK, and other countries. The new variant we are seeing in Nigeria looks like a separate lineage from the UK and South African variants. We need to expand the investigation in Nigeria, but the variant is a separate lineage.

“The African Institute on Genomic Pathogens is also to determine if it is more infectious, more transmissible or if it has potential to cause more severe illnesses. We encourage all member states to carry out implementation of ongoing public health prevention measures for COVID-19.”

On travel ban, Nkengasong stated: “We recommended that there is absolutely no need to restrict travel across the continent because a negative COVID test is already required to travel.

“This is a virus that transmits very quickly. You may test negative and by the time you board you test positive. With the amount of testing happening, there is no need to restrict travel.

“With that kind of testing going on, there is no need to ban. With respect to travel, anyone travelling is tested multiple times, so no need to restrict travel. In the second wave response, if we tackle the second wave, we would tackle the variant.

“The variant is not a new virus. What we should focus on are the measures that are in place to prevent the transmission of COVID. The requirements of a negative test give us confidence that there is no need to restrict trade or travel.”

On the danger posed by the new variant, Nkengasong  said it has potential to spread and transmit quickly and is responsible for the large second wave infections in South Africa.

“We want to look at the overall structure. We don’t know if it would have effect on vaccines because the vaccines were developed with the spike proteins in mind. This is a mutation, we need to look at it, research will guide us.

“We should continue to focus on fighting the virus. If we practice proper hygiene, we will prevent the spread.”

Economic lockdown inevitable after Christmas, unless — NCDC

Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Chike Ihekweazu, when he earlier appeared as a guest on Channels TV breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, in Abuja, urged state governments to enforce adherence to public health and social measures during the Yuletide season, saying it is the only way to de-escalate the second wave of the virus in Nigeria, and avert the hardships that would follow a possible lock-down of the economy in January.

Ihekweazu said: “In the past few months later, we have really tried, considering the economic realities of our time, to give responsibilities to individuals to make decisions and carry-out actions.

“But as we have gone into the second wave, we have found out that it is not enough. Many of us for some reasons are not strong enough to do these things, and don’t do it consistently.

“So, we have asked the state governments to please enforce these measures around event centres, restaurants, etc., so that we can have these decisions made for them, especially at this time of the year when there is an increase in events and social gatherings, so that we don’t go into 2021 with a full blown crisis.

“If we don’t do this, there is no other way of keeping our economy open. So, what we are doing right now is to prevent the use of harder tools to ensure compliance. Yes, it may be painful for small businesses, but it is the only way you can stay open in the long run.”

He added that Nigeria’s healthcare provision infrastructure lacks the capability to manage the situation should cases rise to numbers seen in other countries.

The NCDC DG said: “Do we want to see bodies lying on the roads before we understand the severity of the illness we are facing? This is a numbers game. The more severe cases you have, the higher the risk of death.

“Nigerians watch TVs and see the number of deaths in other countries, despite their very sophisticated healthcare infrastructure. So, we just can’t afford to get to those numbers because the mortality rate in Nigeria will  be a lot higher due to the deficits that we know we have in our healthcare provision infrastructure.

“This is the reason we are harping so much on prevention. Our healthcare systems and capabilities across the federal, state, and local government levels will not just be able to handle the cases in their numbers as we are seeing in other countries.”

On the COVID-19 vaccine expected in the country by the first quarter of 2021, Ihekweazu described it as a scientific feat that bordered on the realm of fiction, insisting that it is the best and cheapest way to prevent the spread of the virus.

FG rolls out measures for UK, S-African returnees

Meanwhile, National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force, PTF, on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, who spoke, during the Task Force briefing, said: “In particular, international travellers must register with the Nigeria international travel portal.

“We are concerned about the emergence of the new variant of COVID-19 in the UK and an additional mutant in South Africa. Our protocol to ensure the safety of our citizens and prevent the importation of cases into the country is one of the most strict.

“Specifically, for the UK and South Africa, the PTF has met and we have decided that additional measures would be required to ensure the safety of our citizens. So, effective from December 28, all passengers coming into the country from the UK and South Africa on direct flights must use the Nigeria international travel portal to register, and fill in the health questionnaire. They must upload a negative COVID-19 PCR result with a validity of not more than five days and they must pay for the COVID-19 PCR test at Day 7 of their arrival in-country.

“When you are leaving UK or South Africa, you need two documents that you must present to the airlines. The first document which we already have is a negative COVID-19 PCR result. The second document is a permit to travel.

“They have to present these documents to the airlines in order to board. The only way you can get a permit to travel on the travel portal is by filling your health questionnaire electronically, uploading a COVID-19 PCR result and paying for the Day 7 test. If you do not present a permit to travel, the airlines have been directed not to allow you board.”

He said a special register will be opened at the airport for all passengers arriving from both countries and that there would be an enhanced surveillance system through which these passengers can be contacted when they arrive their homes.

FG to publish passport details of travellers who evaded COVID test

Aliyu said holders of the passports will be suspended from travelling for a minimum of six months for flouting obligation to test, while visas of foreigners who evade the mandatory test will be revoked.

Aliyu said the 100 affected persons have been contacted and they have confirmed that they failed to do the post-arrival test.

He said only their passport numbers will be published, and not names, adding that punitive measures would be taken against others in the category of those who evaded COVID-19 test.

The coordinator said persons caught presenting fake negative COVID test results for travel will be punished.

FCT running out of bed spaces

He also said the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is already running out of bed spaces due to a rise in infections.

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force, PTF on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha, explained government’s  decision not to ban international air travels from some countries but that it would scale up measures to guard against importation of COVID-19 virus into the country.

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His words: “On international travel, especially from the UK, South Africa and some very high burden areas, we will continue to evaluate the actions taken by various countries. We note that some of the countries that initially banned flights have now adopted the requirement already in place in Nigeria. We have also weighed the security, economic and social implications of a full ban especially when we consider the situation in our neighboring countries and the ECOWAS as a whole. The PTF shall increase measures pertaining to those high burden countries to scale down the possibilities of importation,” he stated.

“The PTF is working with the relevant MDAs on regulatory and certification issues before we go further, on the subject of vaccines.

“In 2021, it’s vaccines plus NPIs. As we make progress on this NPIs +Vaccines phase, I urge state governments not to close down their treatment centres. Rather, they should keep them running efficiently and smoothly because the cases of infections are rising and we must intensify our efforts to support public sector laboratories with critical reagents and the PTF expects the leadership of all federal tertiary health institutions to raise their level of testing and turnaround for results.

“We have gone past the politics of COVID-19. This is the time to work hard,” he stated.

According to the SGF, six members of his household have returned home after staying for 12 days at the isolation and treatment centre having tested positive for the virus.

30 persons test positive in one day in Nasarawa

Speaking at the enlarged meeting of the COVID-19 council in Government House, Lafia, Nassarawa State, acting governor, who is also the COVID-19 task force chairman, Dr Emmanuel Akabe disclosed that  30 persons tested positive on December 22, 2020, a figure said to be the highest recorded in a day in the state since outbreak of the virus.

Akabe stressed the need for the state to take measures to curtail the spread, considering the proximity of the state to the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, which is among the cities with high number of positive virus cases.

“We are aware of what is happening now in the world as far as the COVID-19 pandemic is concerned. There has been an upsurge and we never knew  that it was going to affect us this much.

In Nasarawa, the surge has come, its real. We had  gone  as low as below 100 positive cases diagnosed,  but in the last one month, it became a different story altogether.  The number is increasing,” Akabe stated.

Gov Sanwo-Olu out of isolation

As virus cases spike, Governor  Sanwo-Olu said that 10 oxygen camps are ready for the treatment of critical cases in the state.

He also announced the death of an official of the state government who died of COVID-19 complications yesterday, Christmas eve, stressing the need for residents to be vigilant.

“COVID-19 is real and the second wave is deadlier,” he added.

The governor, addressing the media at the Lagos House, Marina on the update of COVID-19 situation in the state, was full of life and gratitude to God, and described his experience in isolation as “a difficult bout” for survival.

Fielding questions from newsmen, Sanwo-Olu said: “We have 10 oxygen camps for critical cases; six of them are located at Infectious Diseases Hospital, IDH, Yaba, while the remaining four camps will be launched next week.

“We have enough isolation centres for cases right now. They have not reached an alarming rate. Some approved private hospitals are also attending to cases.

“Right now, the COVID-19 cases have not exceeded our spaces. We also have hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 home care packs for the treatment of patients in their respective homes.”

On his recovery, he said: “I am grateful to the medical personnel who have cared for me in the last two weeks, since my COVID-19 diagnosis and to you, the good people of Lagos State for your well wishes and prayers regarding my health.

“I spent 14 days in isolation, experiencing mostly moderate symptoms. It was an experience I am very glad to have put behind me.

“I received very dedicated and competent care from the Lagos State COVID-19 Treatment Team, and I am extremely proud of the work that they do. They are a big part of the success story of the Lagos State COVID-19 Response.

“I was fortunate to have had a relatively moderate and not mild COVID-19 experience. About one in every 10 persons that contracts the disease in Lagos State is not so lucky, they have to go into intensive care, and some of them do not make it out alive. My experience while in isolation was a bout.

“For this reason, my gratitude is deep and profuse. And it is also for this reason, that I am here to appeal to us all today, that the best way to be lucky is not to get infected in the first place.

“The cliché, prevention is better than cure, should be a watchword for each and every one of us at this moment in time.

“Let me sound this note of warning again, as I have done from the onset of this pandemic, Covid-19 is real. It is here with us, and it is not a respecter of anyone, or of social class, religious belief, or partisan affiliation.

“Not only is COVID-19 here with us, this second wave we are currently seeing is proving to be more ambitious than the first wave.

“We are seeing infection figures that are surpassing what we saw at the peak of the first wave, and, just like then, Lagos remains the epicentre.

“As Nigeria’s most populous and densely-populated city, and a centre of international trade and commerce, this is not surprising in any way. But it is also the reason we need to exercise an abundance of caution.

“World over, Christmas is associated with gathering, merriment and traveling – which all, sadly, contribute to the spread of the Coronavirus. We must now seek to minimize as much of these activities as we can, at this time and going forward.

“Remember that by acting responsibly, you’re not doing only yourself a favour, you’re doing other people a favour, especially those among us who are elderly or medically vulnerable.”

Vanguard News Nigeria