Tag: Omicron

Omicron: FG asks Saudi Arabia to remove travel restriction

Aminu Imam

The Federal Government has called on the Saudi Authority to as a matter of urgency review the travel restrictions placed on Nigerians over the outbreak of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. The Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, made the call when he met with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Faisal bin Ebraheem Al-Ghamdi, in Abuja. He said the purpose of the visit was to discuss the recent restrictions placed on Nigerians intending to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the outbreak of the Omicron…

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Covid-19: UAE bans Nigerian passengers, others over Omicron variant

Aminu Imam

The United Arab Emirates, (UAE), has suspended travellers from Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia from entering the country. The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Emergency Management Authority and the General Civil Aviation Authority, (GCAA), who announced the decision yesterday, said the suspension is with effect from today, Saturday. The development has created chaos for both in-bound and out-bound passengers, including Nigerians wishing to come home for the Yuletide. According to reports, some passengers have arranged last-minute flight changes to other European, African and US carriers. The new travel rule…

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‘Passengers with positive PCR tests still show up for flights’ – Lagos airport manager

Aminu Imam

A manager with Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Victoria Shin-Aba, has said that some passengers with positive PCR tests still come to the airport to board flights. Shin-Aba, who also doubles as the regional manager, South West Airports said, this has become a major challenge for them and the Port Health Services as these passengers are often educated and know the implications of having a positive PCR test result. Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, the MMIA, the Airport Manager stated that it was sad that despite warnings that persons…

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Omicron, Delta increase Covid-19 cases in Nigeria by 500% in 2 weeks – NCDC

Aminu Imam

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC), has said the country recorded a 500 percent increase in the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases over the last two weeks due to Delta and Omicron variants. To this end, the NCDC has launched its yuletide season campaign tagged: #CelebrateResponsibly, as part of the #TakeResponsibility campaign, which began in February 2020. It stated that as of December 19, 2021, a total of 223,887 cases and 2985 deaths have been recorded in Nigeria across all 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT). Disclosing…

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Omicron: Lockdown in England on the cards as officials draw up plans

Aminu Imam

Draft regulations are being prepared which would ban meeting others indoors except for work purposes, it’s reported. Officials are drawing up plans for a two-week circuit breaker lockdown after Christmas, reports suggest. The lockdown could include a ban on mixing, both indoors and outdoors. Draft regulations are being prepared which would ban meeting others indoors except for work purposes, and that pubs and restaurants would be limited to outdoor service only, according to The Financial Times. Meanwhile, it reported that Boris Johnson was presented with a number of options on…

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Records fall and borders close as world races to get control of Omicron

Aminu Imam

The rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant has broken pandemic records and shuttered borders in several parts of the world, as governments and scientists scramble to understand the implications of the strain before it supersedes Delta and becomes dominant worldwide. The Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,Dr. Anthony Fauci, said the United States was ‘looking over (its) shoulder’ at the encroaching variant while battling an ongoing Delta outbreak on Wednesday, as he urged people to get vaccinated and receive booster shots to shore up the…

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Omicron thrives in airways, not lungs, New data reveals

Aminu Imam

Recent studies on Covid-19 have revealed that the Omicron variant multiplies faster in airways, slower in the lungs of infected persons. According to a news release issued by Hong Kong University, a summary of the study showed that, compared to the earlier Delta variant, Omicron multiplies itself 70 times more quickly in tissues that line airway passages, which may facilitate person-to-person spread. However, the researchers said that in lung tissues, Omicron replicates 10 times more slowly than the original version of the coronavirus, which might contribute to less-severe illness, adding…

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Covid-19: Omicron drags Nigeria’s average cases up 451%

Aminu Imam

A new variant of Covid-19, lineage B.1.1.7 (Alpha), which has cancelled Christmas festivities in the United Kingdom, (UK), has been found in Nigeria, but after initial discovery in the UK. From a daily average of 74 cases seen in the first week of December, Nigeria’s current Covid-19 cases have shot up by 451% to an average of 408, in a bout of infections driven by the latest Omicron variant. A total of 2,859 cases were confirmed in the week ended December 12, compared with 520 in the preceding week. Nigeria…

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Omicron: Saudi Arabia suspends Nigerian flights

Aminu Imam

…Cancels Hajj, Umrah visits The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has suspended flights from Nigeria due to the new Coronavirus variant, Omicron. The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia confirmed the flight suspension in a circular to all airlines operating in the Kingdom. Earlier yesterday, there were unconfirmed reports that there were preparations for repatriating Nigerians in the Kingdom over Omicron. Since the Kingdom lifted the ban on Nigerian flights, many people, especially from Kano, have visited the country for lesser Hajj, while others are waiting for scheduled…

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Omicron: NCDC confirms 3 new cases as UK detects virus in 7 Nigerian travellers

Aminu Imam

…Senate, Reps. kick over travel ban The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC), yesterday, confirmed three additional cases of Covid-19 with the Omicron variant. The three cases were in addition to the three earlier announced on December 1. This brings the tally of confirmed Omicron cases in Nigeria to six. The NCDC, in a statement by its Director-General, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, noted that all the Omicron cases, so far, were detected in persons with recent travel history to South Africa in November. This came as the United Kingdom government said…

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