The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says no person in Nigeria has died of the Omicron, as the variant surges across the country.

The NCDC Director-General, Ifedayo Adetifa, disclosed this to journalists on Friday in Abuja, noting that Omicron has raised the number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to 500 per cent, and become the dominant variants in the country.

The NCDC boss said Nigeria has now identified a further 39 cases of the omicron variant, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 45. 

He added that the 39 additional omicron variants were not cases from travel history, rather they are in country, which suggests that Nigeria is already experiencing a community transmission.

He said that the six earlier detected Omicron cases were detected in persons with recent travel history to South Africa, adding it was important for Nigerians to maintain physical distance and avoid contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness.

“We are counting on you to #CelebrateResponsibly and #TakeResponsibility to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from COVID-19,” he urged.

He advised Nigerians that measures to curb the spread of Omicron was by reducing group sizes, increasing physical distancing, reducing duration of contacts and closing high-risk premises.

Meanwhile, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) insists that the national booster campaign remains the main tool for curbing the spread of Omicron in the country. 

The agency suggested that all the COVID-19 vaccines in the country offer “significant protection” against the Omicron variant, and that two doses should still ward off severe disease.

(NAN)