The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare appears to have activated preventive measures across its healthcare facilities to address the potential threat of a new strain of COVID-19.
The move came in response to a circulated letter from the ministry concerning the newly detected SARS-CoV-2 XEC COVID-19 variant.
The variant, first reported in Australia, has already spread to 29 countries worldwide.
The letter, DHS/INSPDIV/017/VOL.1/46, dated 5th December, 2024 and titled ‘Letter of Conveyance in Respect of the Newly 5th December, 2024Detected XEC COVID -19 Strain’ was signed by O. N. Anuma, Head, Teaching Hospital Division on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom.
The letter, addressed to the Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors, urged the implementation of necessary precautions ahead of the upcoming festive season, which is expected to witness increased human traffic across the nation’s transportation network.
The letter reads: “I am directed to inform you of a newly detected XEC COVID-19 variant, which has been reported in Australia and has already spread to 29 countries globally (letter attached).
“You may wish to know that this variant has shown a growth advantage over other circulating strains, raising concerns about its potential impact on public health.
“Alert systems should be immediately activated throughout our hospitals for high index of suspicion in patients with COVID-like symptoms.
“We request your committee to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to share critical data regarding this strain and implement enhanced monitoring protocols.
“Timely information sharing among relevant stakeholders including Federal Ministry of Health will be vital for effective response strategies.”
At the time of filing this report, attempts to verify the authenticity of the letter proved unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to officials of the ministry, including the Director of Hospital Services, went unanswered.
However, a source who is familiar with the development, reliably informed The Nation that the information originated from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), who alerted the office of the Permanent Secretary.
“The official information came from the SGF’s office to the ministry. But if she was in the office, there wouldn’t have been any need for any officer to sign the letter to the CMDs and MDs. So I think that is where the issue of your suspicion is coming from.
“I don’t think any official would risk his service to sign a letter he wasn’t authorised to do. So, I want to believe the alert was right and in order,” she said.
However, the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, was quoted by a national newspaper as saying that the letter was precautionary and not meant to cause panic, adding that there is no variant of the virus in Nigeria.
SARS-CoV-2 XEC is a recombinant subvariant currently under close monitoring by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Findings suggest it has increased transmissibility and unique mutations that may allow for higher immune evasion compared to its parent lineages.
However, the symptoms are similar to those of Omicron subvariants, and importantly, there is no evidence to suggest increased disease severity caused by the XEC variant.
Countries, including Nigeria, are being encouraged to enhance Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARI) surveillance to keep track of SARS-CoV-2 cases and monitor new variants, according to health bodies.
