Ifedayo Adetifa, the director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has encouraged Nigerians to disregard "speculations" that vaccinations have no impact on the new SARS-CoV2 subtype known as Omicron.
Vaccination, he added, remained "a really strong technique for preventing disease spread and death caused by this virus."
Mr. Adetifa stated on Channel's "Sunrise Daily" show on Wednesday that the NCDC believes that even if the Omicron variation has an effect on vaccination, "it cannot be equated to full abrogation."
"In theory, if the vaccination was 90% protective against severe sickness and mortality from the Delta variation, it may become 80% protective against the Omicron version." So, while we figure out how it will affect vaccination protection, the fact remains that vaccines are effective, safe, and provide protection," Mr. Adetifa added.
What is already known
The center, like other experts throughout the world, does not know how harmful the variety is, according to the director-general, who also noted that examinations are still underway.
"There have been changes found in spike proteins that potentially may indicate the danger of higher transmissibility, may cause more severe illness, or may lessen protections from current vaccinations, but the fact is that we don't know," he added.
"What we do know is that the patients currently impacted by this mutation are mainly asymptomatic, young, and haven't resulted in any deaths." So we're still on the lookout; we'll need more time to observe what happens when it impacts somewhat different populations, such as the vulnerable or the elderly. But for the time being, we don't know much.
"We know that existing public health precautions and immunization provide protection. It may not be perfect, but the protection they give is important and valuable, and people should stick to those measures and take advantage of every chance to acquire vaccinations that is now available, particularly in Nigeria."
'It's possible that a more deadly variety will arise.'
Mr. Adetifa warned Nigerians about the possibility of a more severe strain emerging and recommended people to be vigilant and take all non-pharmaceutical precautions to avoid the hazard.
He warned that if they disregard prudence, the repercussions might be disastrous.
The advent of the Omicron strain, he added, serves as a warning that the fight is far from done and that there is still a threat.
"The fact that we have happily not seen many serious cases and deaths does not imply that we are not acquiring infections or that the virus has not been disseminated," Mr. Adetifa continued. What occurs is that if the viral transmission is unrestricted within the population, there is always the possibility that a variation may develop that is more deadly than the predecessor or perhaps changes the illness pattern for humans.
"This is why we're urging folks to return and follow the safety precautions that have been put in place." And, of course, there's immunization, which is critical."
The NCDC chief also stated that the Omicron variant's mutation is not unusual, claiming that all viruses change.
"Viruses mutate at varying rates depending on whatever type they are. SARS-CoV2, also known as an RNA virus, is a novel disease. Mutations are common in most RNA viruses. It implies that when they reproduce, they make mistakes in every circle of their genetic code.
"While humans and some other viruses have self-correcting systems, many viruses, particularly the RNA virus, do not." As a result, mistakes are passed on to the next generation, but only a few are able to live and spread illness," Mr. Adetifa explained.
