(Counting down from the bottom left) Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, Ifedayo Adetifa, Director-General of the NCDC, and Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, in a photo combination.
Despite Canadian authorities' assertions that two travelers from Nigeria had tested positive for the Omicron strain of the COVID-19, the Federal Government reiterated on Monday that Nigeria had yet to report a case of the virus.
Ifedayo Adetifa, Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, said there was no need to give in to rumors during the Presidential Steering Committee meeting in Abuja.
He stated, "I do not encourage folks to squander energy on speculation." "I believe we should concentrate on what we already know." And for the time being, we know that we do not have a case in Nigeria.
"Right now, we have a pipeline of samples in the works, with findings due tomorrow; however, this scenario is subject to change."
Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, claimed officials were "adopting a vigilant, waiting stance."
Although the Omicron variety, which was initially discovered in South Africa, is thought to be highly transmissible, it is unclear how dangerous it is to public health.
Omicron has been designated as a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization, and nations throughout the world are banning travel from southern Africa, where the new strain was initially discovered, as well as adopting other extra safeguards.
On Sunday, Canadian authorities said that they had discovered the country's first instances of the new strain in two persons who had just been to Nigeria.
Members of the PSC, however, said they were waiting for additional information from their Canadian colleagues because there are no direct flights between Nigeria and Canada.
Treaty on Pandemics
Meanwhile, the WHO believes that the world should study Covid-19's devastation and vow "never again" by signing a pandemic preparedness pact.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, said on Monday that another terrible pandemic was inevitable unless countries demonstrated the will to improve global defenses.
From Monday to Wednesday, nations will gather in Geneva to debate an international accord outlining how to deal with the next pandemic, which experts believe is just a matter of time.
The World Health Organization (WHO) made this handout photo available on November 29, 2021, showing WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaking during a special session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva. World Health Organization / AFP / Christopher Black
The meeting takes place as the globe continues to be besieged by Covid-19, over two years after the first reports of cases in China, and is now being shook by Omicron/.
Member nations of the World Health Organization secured an agreement on Sunday to begin the process of drafting a pandemic treaty.
The draft decision was reached after nations reached an agreement to compromise, including the US, which is undecided about whether the conclusion should be a legally binding treaty.
On Wednesday, the decision is anticipated to be finalized.
Omicron's Shadow
"The appearance of the severely altered Omicron variety highlights exactly how risky and unstable our situation is," Tedros said at the commencement of the three-day summit.
"Omicron exemplifies why the world needs a new pandemic agreement.
"The advent of Omicron is again another reminder that, while many of us think we're done with Covid-19, we're not.
"Unless you, the countries of the globe, can get together and declare, 'Never again,' it will all happen again."
This World Health Assembly conference — the WHO's decision-making body, which includes all 194 member nations — is a once-in-a-lifetime special session on how to deal with the next epidemic.
It should determine how far nations are willing to go in terms of legally enforceable commitments on matters such as fair vaccination distribution, information exchange, finance, and supervision systems, with any final agreement set to take effect in 2024.
A crucial question in the future might be whether nations want the WHO to have more authority to probe epidemic sources. The absence of data sharing early in the Covid epidemic, according to Tedros, was an impediment.
According to a French diplomatic source, "one of the ambitions of this treaty is to be able to increase the WHO's capacity to monitor and analyze the situation in countries: the WHO's investigative authority."
'Change the course of history.'
The world was unprepared for Covid-19, according to Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, and "for that vulnerability, we all paid a high price."
"Steps must be taken to guarantee that this does not happen again," he added, adding that "when the next pandemic strikes, as it will," we will be better prepared.
WHO member states agree to form an intergovernmental negotiating committee "to design and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response," according to the draft resolution.
The body's first meeting, to elect two co-chairs and four vice-chairs, must take place no later than March 1 of the following year.
In 2023, at the usual World Health Assembly annual meeting, a progress report will be provided, with the final conclusion being offered for discussion at the WHA in 2024.
"I hope we will make history," said European Council President Charles Michel, who was the one who began the ball moving on a pandemic pact. The world's position necessitates it.
"The initial agreement reached yesterday is a significant step forward, and now it's time to build on this momentum to make the globe a safer place."
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has urged for a change in how countries support the WHO so that it can respond more quickly to disasters.
"Measures for better pandemic prevention and response should be put out in a pandemic treaty that is legally enforceable," she added.
Alain Berset, Switzerland's health minister, said the world needs to act quickly and boldly, and he asked for a legally enforceable document.
"The challenges at hand are just too significant. He stated, "We don't have the right to fail."
