New COVID-19 Variant: Proactive measures in place at MMIA – Port Health

Tamarauemi Ebimini

The Port Health Services (PHS) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, said it has taken proactive measures to prevent importation of the new COVID-19 variant into the country.

The Officer-in-Charge, Omede Ogu, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.

Mr Ogu said information on the new variant has been placed on the PHS emergency platform, and other agencies at the airport are also informed of the emergency.

He said personnel are trained weekly to keep them abreast of steps to take when confronted with emergencies like this.

The United Kingdom (UK) had on Friday announced the detection of its first case of the new COVID-19 variant, BA.2.86.

The UK authority said the strain has also been identified in Israel, Denmark, and the United States.

It said the case was confirmed in an individual with no recent travel history, which suggests a degree of community transmission within the UK.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US health authorities had, on Thursday, said they were closely monitoring a new variant of COVID-19, although the potential impact of BA.2.86 is currently unknown.

WHO designated the COVID-19 variant BA.2.86 as a ‘variant under monitoring’ due to the large number of mutations it carries.

Nigeria and the UK record a high volume of travellers who shuttle between both countries regularly.