By Iyemah David
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has allayed public fears over the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 XEC subvariant globally.
The Director-General of the centre, Dr Jide Idris, did this in a public advisory issued on Saturday night in Abuja, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Dr Idris reassured Nigerians that the variant, though identified in 29 countries, has not been detected in Nigeria.
He said that the XEC subvariant, a descendant of the Omicron JN.1 lineage, was currently classified as a Variant Under Monitoring (VUM).
According to him, this means that it is being closely observed for potential concerns but does not yet pose significant risk.
“The XEC sub-variant has been reported in Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa, with Botswana being the only African country to record cases so far.
“While the sub-variant exhibits higher transmissibility, there is no evidence of increased disease severity,” he said.
The NCDC boss said that Nigeria had been monitoring the JN.1 variant, classified as a Variant of Interest (VOI), which has been present in the country since January.
He assured Nigerians that the National COVID-19 Technical Working Group was conducting continuous surveillance and data analysis.
Additionally, he said that a dynamic risk assessment was being organised to strengthen the country’s preparedness and response capabilities.
Dr Idris urged health facilities nationwide to ramp up COVID-19 testing and forward positive samples to accredited laboratories for genomic sequencing.
He encouraged the public to maintain vigilance and adhere to basic health protocols, including handwashing, mask usage in crowded spaces, and ensuring proper ventilation indoors.
The NCDC boss advised vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, to remain cautious.
“COVID-19 remains a significant risk, particularly for the elderly, individuals undergoing cancer treatment, organ transplant recipients, and those with suppressed immune systems.
“We urge Nigerians to get vaccinated and receive booster doses as recommended,” he said.
The director-general also called on state governments to enhance public health infrastructure, provide resources for improved surveillance and diagnostics, and promote public health education.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to providing Nigerians with accurate and timely information on the evolving COVID-19 situation globally.
He urged citizens to avoid misinformation and rely on verified updates from its platforms.
“For assistance, the public is encouraged to contact the NCDC via its toll-free number 6232 or, WhatsApp: 07087110839, Twitter: @NCDCGov and Facebook: @NCDCgov,” he said.
The XEC variant of COVID-19 is a recombinant strain, meaning it results from the combination of genetic material from two or more existing variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Recombinant variants can emerge when different strains infect the same individual and exchange genetic material during replication.
This process may lead to new variants with unique properties, such as increased transmissibility, virulence, or resistance to immunity.
While thousands of mutations have been tracked globally, only a few variants are monitored for public health significance.
Nigeria’s NCDC and global health organizations like the WHO continue genomic surveillance to monitor and respond to emerging variants.
