the World Health Organization (WHO) named the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus a new variant of concern. This has resulted in a spate of reactions and interventions, keeping the pandemic in the news. Researchers have yet to determine if it is more contagious than other variants.
While an evidence-based approach has been the sustained call for the management of the pandemic, recent actions of some western nations placing travel restrictions on African nations is a divergence from this plan.
The UK-Nigeria Diaspora Covid-19 Response Consortium is cognisant of the need to be concerned about the emergence of the new Omicron variant.
The detailed characterisation of the variant was undertaken by South African scientists.
Though not the source of the index case, a growing number of countries are increasingly restricting travels from Southern African countries. Israel, Morocco and Japan banned all foreign travellers. There is a disproportionate restriction on African countries to the exclusion of western nations that have recorded more cases of the Omicron variant.
The variant was identified by scientists in South Africa. Researchers have yet to determine if it is more contagious than other variants.
Omicron was detected in a traveller and not as a local transmission in Nigeria (Figure 1; source: New York Times). Britain with reported 334 cases and Nigeria with
6 cases and no local transmission at the onset was added to the banned (red list countries) by the UK Health Secretary, Sajid Javid on 7 December 2021. No rationale or scientific basis has been provided to justify this inclusion. Ironically Britain has 334 reported cases and Nigeria 6 cases as at 8 December 2021.
Figure 1: Traveller, the index Omicron case in Nigeria
Figure 2: Local transmissions of Omicron as the issue in the United Kingdom
There has been an unusual increase in infections in the UK due to the existing presence of the variant in the UK. Current steps of pre- and post travel Covid testing should minimise the import of Covid.
Non-pharmaceutical interventions and the vaccination programs have proved to be highly effective in containing the pandemic.
Rather than the questionable travel ban on African countries, the government should direct its efforts towards these effective response measures.
The Consortium supports the call for further research to increase the understanding of the virulence, transmission and the severity of the variant.
The World Health Organisation has advocated for a more balanced response in line with the science while these efforts to understand the variant are ongoing.
The decision is unjustifiable without providing additional scientific reasons either publicly or the intergovernmental level. The plan for a review and decision by the UK government on 20 December 2021 is unjustifiable, punitive delay.
The Consortium calls on the UK government to rescind its decision to place Nigeria on the Red List of countries immediately in light of the above.
A failure to reverse the ban or increase the vaccine supply to Africa will be counterproductive to Western countries. The risk of more complex mutations of the virus in the largely unvaccinated parts of the world is real and this will result in persistence of Covid-19 in the community, western countries, African, Asia and globally.
The UK-Nigeria Diaspora Covid-19 Response Consortium calls on the global community to respond to this threat with more practical steps based on science while we await the determination of the effects of Omicron variant. These steps include
1. Rapid delivery of covid vaccines to African and all low- and middle-income countries to boost the vaccination rate. While less than 10% of adults have access to vaccination in Africa, the UK, USA currently have excess supply with double vaccination as high 80-90%. We call on the nations of the G7, G20, European Union and Russia to redeem their pledge to Africa with regards to the availability of vaccines.
2. A more coordinated response to emerging variants through the World Health Organisation (WHO).
3. Nigeria should embrace the face covering, identifying the infected with testing using lateral flow and molecular tests and isolating the other infected until non infectious.
We acknowledge the evidenced-based approach advocated by the World Health Organisation and the indication that this new variant which may be more transmissible is possibly linked more with a milder disease. Further research should be undertaken to understand the transmissibility, severity and vaccine-immunity escaping characteristics of the Omicron variant.
Rescinding the decision to place Nigeria on the Red list will be the right ethical and scientific course of action.
Communique issued by the UK-Nigeria Diaspora Covid-19 Response Consortium on 10 December 2021
