Nigeria confirms first Omicron cases among travellers from SA

Nigeria confirmed its first cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in two travellers who arrived from SA last week, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said on Wednesday.

The NCDC said retrospective sequencing of previously confirmed cases among travellers to Nigeria had also identified the variant among a sample collected in October, reports Reuters.

President Cyril Ramaphosa embarked on a weeklong four-nation state visit to West Africa on Tuesday. He will visit Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and the Ivory Coast.

Ramaphosa said bans imposed on several African states in response to the new variant went against the G20 Rome spirit when countries agreed they must open up travel because the tourism industry around the world has been devastated by the pandemic, reports Sunday Times Daily.

Additional reporting by TimesLIVE.