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Tag: Omicron

  • Omicron: CSO urge Saudi Arabia to end Flight suspension on Nigeria

    Omicron: CSO urge Saudi Arabia to end Flight suspension on Nigeria

    By Jabiru Hassan, Kano.

    Independent Hajj Reporters, a civil society organisations that monitors and reports Hajj and Umrah activities has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to deploy diplomatic measures to engage the government of Saudi Arabia with a view to ending the flight suspension placed on Nigeria by the Kingdom of over the prevalence Omicron variant of Covid-19.

    IHR in a statement on Thursday signed by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad said it acknowledged and lauds the proactive efforts of Saudi Arabia in protecting the Holy Sites and Muslims from the virus that resulted in restricting countries that has reported the Omicron Variant.

    “However, it is our hope that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is aware that other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, who had earlier invoked flight suspension on Nigeria based on Omicron, have now lifted the suspension”. “In addition, United States had on Tuesday lifted the travel ban initially imposed on South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi over Omicron; after United States Center for Disease Control recommends lifting the travel restrictions arguing that such restrictions are no longer necessary to protect the public health”.

    The statement appealed to Saudi Arabia to queue into the World Health Organization advice against blanket travel ban over omicron and lift the suspension on Nigerian Pilgrims. It is apparent that what countries need to do is to adopt measures that will stem the tide of Omicron spread without having to selectively ban some countries.

    It said “Moreso, Nigerian Hajj Operators being the fifth Hajj/Umrah facilitators has suffered serious financial losses running into billions of naira. Many of the operators have closed shop with many more in debt with no special bail out or hardship curtailment assistance from any quarter”.

    Both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia should understand that the recent suspension came at a time when the few Hajj/Umrah Operators who are trying to stand the heat begin to salvage what remains of their business. Further delay or continued blockade of Nigeria from entering the Kingdom will definitely lead to the collapse of an entire Hajj and Umrah Industry”.

    The statement added IHR stated that its appeal is also based on The International Air Transport Association (IATA) earlier call on governments of all nations to follow the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO) and immediately rescind travel bans that were placed on Nigeria, South Africa and others – called that has been heeded by United Kingdom and Canada.

    The advice states that “public health organizations, including the WHO, have kicked against travel bans to contain the spread of Omicron, that blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods. In addition, they can adversely impact global health efforts during a pandemic by disincentivizing countries to report and share epidemiological and sequencing data.

    “After nearly two years with COVID-19, we know a lot about the virus and the inability of travel restrictions to control its spread. But the discovery of the Omicron variant induced instant amnesia on governments which implemented knee-jerk restrictions in complete contravention of advice from the WHO” “Based on the above, we appeal to relevant agencies in the Kingdom to review the direct travel ban placed on Nigeria with a view to lifting the ban as soon as it is desirable,” the statement concluded.

  • Omicron: UK Foreign Secretary Pledges £105m In UKAid To Nigeria, Other African Countries

    Omicron: UK Foreign Secretary Pledges £105m In UKAid To Nigeria, Other African Countries

    The UK Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, has pledged up to £105 million of UK emergency aid to help vulnerable countries tackle the Omicron Covid-19 variant, with a particular focus on Africa.

    The vital aid will be delivered through trusted partners, such as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and will:

    “Scale-up testing – especially in parts of Africa where testing rates for Covid-19 remain lowest – allowing health systems to track and respond to the spread of the virus more effectively. This is in addition to the UK’s world-leading genomic sequencing support.

    “Improve access to oxygen supplies for ventilators – a surge in demand for oxygen is a significant risk for some countries.

    “Provide communities with hygiene advice, products and access to handwashing facilities and support deep cleaning in schools, health centres and other public places. This will build on the successful global hygiene campaign between UK aid and Unilever which has reached over 1.2 billion people since its launch in 2020.

    “Fund the UK’s ground-breaking science and research into the spread of variants like Omicron to enable innovative evidence-based policy responses in low and middle-income countries.

    “Ready the UK’s own expert emergency teams for deployment overseas to crisis hotspots, including with new medical equipment.”

    According to a statement from the British High Commission, the government has also confirmed today that over 30 million vaccines have been delivered so far as part of the UK’s pledge to donate 100 million doses to the world, benefitting more than 30 countries, including Nigeria.

    Doses donated by the UK have reached four continents and provided vital protection from Covid-19 in countries including Nigeria, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana and Rwanda.

    Of the more than 30 million doses now donated so far, 24.6 million have been received by COVAX for delivery to countries and 5.5 million have been shared directly with countries in need.

    The UK has so far donated to Nigeria over 1.2m doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines through COVAX in 2021. Millions more vaccines will be sent to Nigeria and other countries in 2022, including 20 million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses and 20 million Janssen doses.

    The statement further notes that “the UK has been at the forefront of the global response to Covid-19. Today’s announcement builds on the £1.3 billion in UK aid committed to the international health response early on in the pandemic, supporting vaccines, health systems and economic recovery in developing countries.

    “The UK Government has also invested more than £88 million to support the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and the UK became the first country in the world to approve the jab a year ago today.

    “In Nigeria, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) supported the improved capability and capacity of the NCDC for COVID genomic sequencing, which has now conducted more than 2000 tests compared to about 400 tests six months ago.

    “The UKHSA is also building the diagnostic capacity in Nigeria for common childhood diseases, such as pertussis (whooping cough) and other diseases of public health significance.

    “The UKHSA is also supporting the development of national and subnational health security plans, including building the technical and leadership capacity within the NCDC.

    “The UKAid funded Lafiya programme has also supported the procurement of £2m worth of PPE kits, protecting more than 5,000 health workers in the five Northern States: Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa.”

    Thanks to AstraZeneca’s commitment to distribute the vaccine on a non-profit basis, 2.5 billion doses have been used in more than 170 countries, two-thirds of which are low- and middle-income countries.

    Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “The UK is providing vital assistance to help tackle the spread of new variants around the world.

    “This is key to securing our freedom and ending this pandemic once and for all. I am proud that we have also delivered over 30 million vaccines to benefit our friends around the world this year.

    “The UK is helping other countries most in need. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

    Speaking also on the subject matter, the Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “The global pandemic has challenged health systems around the world and the best way to overcome this awful disease is to unite and stand side by side with our international partners.

    “By supporting countries with the UK’s groundbreaking science and research into the spread of variants, improving access to oxygen and scaling up testing we will help those most in need chart their course out of the pandemic.

    “I am proud that we have already delivered over 30 million vaccines to our friends abroad. The UK, as a global leader, is helping other countries most in need. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

    In a similar vein, Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said: “We welcome the UK’s commitment in new funding to protect the most vulnerable, particularly in Africa; the UK’s continued focus on COVAX and equitable global access to COVID19 vaccines, both through early financing commitments made at UNGA 2020, as well as meeting the Prime Minister’s G7 commitment to dose sharing – the 30m target set by the end of 2021.

    “We look forward to operationalising the remainder of the UK’s dose sharing commitment via COVAX in 2022, while we also work with the UK Government on continuing to support Gavi’s ambitious 2021-2025 routine vaccination programmes, of which the United Kingdom is the largest funder through the PM’s commitment made at the UK-hosted Global Vaccine Summit in June 2020.”

  • COVID-19: Omicron now in 89 Countries – WHO

    COVID-19: Omicron now in 89 Countries – WHO

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has now been detected in 89 countries.

    Omicron — labelled a “variant of concern” — was detected by South African authorities and subsequently reported to the WHO.

    Following the discovery of the new variant, there have been concerns about its possible higher transmissibility due to the increase in COVID cases experienced in South Africa.

    In a statement on Saturday, the WHO said there is consistent evidence that Omicron has a substantial growth advantage over Delta.

    It added that “given current available data, it is likely that Omicron will outpace Delta where community transmission occurs”.

    “As of 16 December 2021, the Omicron variant has been identified in 89 countries across all six WHO regions. Current understanding of the Omicron variant will continue to evolve as more data becomes available,” the statement reads.

    “It is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant in countries with documented community transmission, with a doubling time between 1.5–3 days. Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity and it remains uncertain to what extent the observed rapid growth rate can be attributed to immune evasion, intrinsic increased transmissibility or a combination of both.

    “There are still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron. More data are needed to understand the severity profile and how severity is impacted by vaccination and pre-existing immunity. Hospitalizations in the UK and South Africa continue to rise, and given rapidly increasing case counts, it is possible that many healthcare systems may become quickly overwhelmed.

    “Preliminary data suggest that there is a reduction in neutralizing titres against Omicron in those who have received a primary vaccination series or in those who have had prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, which may suggest a level of humoral immune evasion.

    “There are still limited available data, and no peer-reviewed evidence, on vaccine efficacy or effectiveness to date for Omicron.”

  • Oil price plunges to $73 a barrel amid Omicron uncertainties

    Oil price plunges to $73 a barrel amid Omicron uncertainties

    The price of crude oil dipped on Friday amid surging cases of Omicron coronavirus variant, raising concerns that new restrictions may affect fuel demand.

    Brent crude futures plunged by 1.61 percent to $73.41 per barrel at 4:09 pm, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dipped by 1.58 percent to $70.80 a barrel.

    Newsman had reported that the international oil price rose above $75 per barrel last Friday amid ease in Omicron concerns that increasing immobility and impending lockdown would lower oil demand.

    The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia, and allies, known as OPEC+, had said there could be a meeting ahead of its scheduled January meeting.

    The oil cartel had noted that this meeting would be held if changes in the demand outlook needed it to review its proposed plans to increase supply by 400,000 barrels per day in January.

    In its latest monthly oil market report, OPEC had forecasted that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus would have a slight effect on oil demand.

    The group noted that improved COVID-19 management and rising vaccination rates, enabling economic activity and mobility to return to pre-pandemic levels, supporting transportation fuels, in particular, would determine the increase in demand for crude oil.

  • Oil price tops $75 amid ease in Omicron COVID-19 variant concerns

    Oil price tops $75 amid ease in Omicron COVID-19 variant concerns

    The global oil price climbed above $75 per barrel on Friday amid ease in concerns that the travel restrictions instigated by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 could lead to a market glut.

    The steady rise is coming a week after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies retained its plans to increase oil output by 400,000 barrels per day in January 2022.

    At 2:16 PM, Brent crude futures, an international oil benchmark, rose by 0.95 percent to $75.13 per barrel while the U.S. West Texas Immediate (WTI) rose by 1.06 percent to $71.69 per barrel.

    An OPEC source told Reuters that “the market has taken the decision well”.

    “The variant news made for short-lived negative sentiment, with no clear evidence,” the source said.

    In November, the price dropped from $84 per barrel amid a new coronavirus variant and the U.S. increased release of oil from strategic reserves.

  • Omicron: UK suspends processing of visitor visa applications from Nigeria

    Omicron: UK suspends processing of visitor visa applications from Nigeria

    The British High Commission says it will “pause making decisions” on visitor visa applications from all red list countries, including Nigeria.

    The decision was announced in a statement issued on Sunday by the commission.

    The development comes hours after the UK added Nigeria to its travel red list as a result of concerns over the Omicron COVID variant.

    Speaking in an interview on Saturday, Sajid Javid, the UK health secretary, had announced a temporary ban on foreign travellers from Nigeria, adding that “only UK residents or citizens of the UK can enter the UK from Nigeria from that point onwards, and they would have to quarantine in one of the relevant hotels”.

    On the announcement on the suspension of processing visitor visa applications in Nigeria, the UK said the decision will be in effect until the travel ban is lifted.

    “To support the UK Government’s aim to protect public health from COVID-19 and associated variants of concern (VOC), UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) will pause making decisions on visitor visa applications in all red list countries, including Nigeria, until travel restrictions are lifted,” the statement reads.

    “Visit visas cover travel to the UK for tourism, visiting family and friends, undertaking short-term business activities (for example, attending meetings), undertaking short-term studies (under 6 months), taking part in research or exchange programmes as an academic, medical reasons (for example, receiving private medical treatment).

    “If you apply for a visit visa in a red list country and you meet the UK Immigration Rules, your application will be paused. You will not receive a decision on your visit visa application whilst red list travel restrictions remain in place.

    “You will not be able to request a refund of your visa fee once you have given your biometrics at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). If you already hold a valid visit visa and are intending to travel to England as a visitor from a red list country, you will not be allowed to enter.

    “Separate guidance is available for travellers entering Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Use https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-list-of-countries-and-territories.”

    The commission also said visas or entry permits from red list countries will only be issued where there are compelling and compassionate circumstances.

    “There are only very limited exemptions to travel and entry requirements for critical workers and medical and compassionate cases,” the statement reads.

    “If you have submitted a visit visa application and you do not wish to withdraw, we will continue to hold your application.

    “If you choose to continue with your visa application, you will not receive a decision on your visit visa whilst red list travel restrictions remain in place.”

  • COVID-19 Omicron: UK Govt puts Nigeria on red list, Bans foreign Travellers

    COVID-19 Omicron: UK Govt puts Nigeria on red list, Bans foreign Travellers

    The United Kingdom says Nigeria will be added to the countries on its red list as a result of the discovery of COVID Omicron cases linked to Nigeria.

    Sajid Javid, the UK health secretary, disclosed this on Saturday in a television interview.

    The UK had also placed a temporary ban on air travel from six southern African countries — South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe — with immediate effect to prevent importation of the variant into Britain.

    According to the new protocol announced on Saturday, non-UK and non-Irish citizens who are travelling in from Nigeria will not be allowed entry into the UK.

    “Over the recent days, we have learned of a significant number of growing cases linked to travel with Nigeria. There are 27 cases already in England and that’s growing. Nigeria narrows second only to South Africa in terms of cases linked to Omicron,” he said.

    “So today, the government has decided to add Nigeria to the travel red list and that will be effective from 4am on Monday. This will mean that only UK residents or citizens of the UK can enter the UK from Nigeria from that point onwards, and they would have to quarantine in one of the relevant hotels.

    “We’ve also decided to require pre-departure tests for all inward travellers that will be effective from 4am on Tuesday, and they’ll be required maximum of 48 hours before the departure time.”

    A statement by the British High Commission also noted that the ban is temporary and “follows 21 recent cases of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529 (Omicron) linked to Nigeria”.

    The ban will also not apply to persons “staying airside and only transiting through”.

  • Omicron: Federal Government Okays COVID-19 Booster dose for eligible persons

    Omicron: Federal Government Okays COVID-19 Booster dose for eligible persons

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    As the new Omicron COVID-19 variant surfaces in Nigeria, the Federal Government through the Presidential Steering Committee in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency has approved the administration of booster doses for persons that have completed 2 doses of AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer Bio-N-Tech or 1 dose of Johnson & Johnson.

    Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib has said the eligibility criteria for taking the booster dose is as follows persons 18 years and above
    Time interval of 6 months or more after receiving the second dose of AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer Bio-N-Tech.
    Time interval of 2 months or more after receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

    In a statement signed Mohammad Ohitoto, Head, Public Relations Unit, made available to newsmen eligible Nigerians are advised to visit the nearest health facility or mass vaccination site for their booster doses as from the 10th of December, 2021 across all states of the country.

    According to Dr. Faisal Shuaib, a COVID-19 booster dose gives greater protection against the virus and urged all Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

    Daybreak reports that thehe list of the vaccination sites is available on the NPHCDA website: www.nphcda.gov.ng

  • OPEC+ To Increase Output In January Despite Omicron Jitters

    OPEC+ To Increase Output In January Despite Omicron Jitters

    Major oil producers decided Thursday to keep raising output levels in January, despite the Omicron coronavirus variant raising fresh questions over demand.

    The OPEC+ alliance led by Saudi Arabia and Russia had so far resisted US-led pressure to significantly boost output to rein in surging energy prices.

    Observers had expected the club to opt for a freeze in production for January, particularly after the emergence of the Omicron variant sent countries rushing to impose new travel curbs and mull other measures that could dampen demand and hurt oil prices.

    But after meeting for a little over an hour on Thursday afternoon via video conference, the 13 members of the Vienna-based Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and their 10 allies decided to stick with a modest increase in output of 400,000 barrels per day every month, as they have been doing since May.

    The OPEC+ meeting came a week after the United States and to a lesser extent China, India and Japan decided to dip into their strategic reserves to help bring down crude prices, after a price surge that has undermined economic recovery.

    “We suspect that the US-led co-ordinated release of oil reserves… was one reason why OPEC+ decided to push ahead with their plan to raise oil output,” said commodities economist Edward Gardner from Capital Economics, noting that “the group might not want to provoke further action from the large oil consumers”.

    “Rather surprisingly, OPEC+ decided to go ahead with the increase, sending prices back into the red”, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets.

    The decision did indeed send prices for the two benchmark oil contracts, WTI and Brent, tumbling to their lowest levels since late August at $62 and $65 per barrel respectively.

    They then recovered to nearly $67 and $70, both gains on the day, but were still some way below the highs recorded in late October.

    The United States welcomed the decision by OPEC+ members to increase output.

    “Together with our recent coordinated release from the (strategic petroleum reserves), we believe this should help facilitate the global economic recovery,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

    Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told news agencies that the decision “was explained by the fact that the market is stable and that demand is recovering”.

    However, he acknowledged that there was “a lot of uncertainty” linked to the Omicron variant and said that “we will — along with other countries — of course monitor the situation to see how it affects travel”.

    Ann-Louise Hittle, head of oils research at Wood Mackenzie, said that “in a highly uncertain situation, the best option is to stick with the plan. That is exactly what OPEC+ has done today.”

    Analysts also noted that Thursday’s meeting had been technically left “in session”, which according to Gardner “appears to be a way of leaving the door open for a change to output quotas before the next meeting in early January”.

    ‘Steady progress’
    In the run-up to the meeting, OPEC and its members had kept markets guessing as to the likely course of action.

    At a technical meeting on Wednesday, OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo had “highlighted… that steady progress has been made on the global economic recovery”, but also “underscored the need to remain attentive to the prevailing uncertainties and shifting conditions, including those related to the new Covid-19 variant Omicron.”

    The group’s spare capacity is some 10 times higher than the 400,000 barrels per day that it has been adding to the markets every month.

    OPEC+ drastically slashed output last year as the pandemic began to unfold, and virus-related restrictions caused demand to crash.

    Another variable the bloc may have to contend with in coming months is the possible return to the market of Iran if talks in Vienna lead to the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

    Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Thursday a deal was “within reach if the West shows good will”.

    AFP

  • WHO names new COVID-19 strain ‘Omicron’, says it’s ‘variant of concern’

    WHO names new COVID-19 strain ‘Omicron’, says it’s ‘variant of concern’

    The World Health Organisation has named the latest COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa, the Greek name ‘Omicron’, and labelled it a variant of concern due to its large number of mutations and possible faster rate of infection.

    WHO, in a statement on Friday, said that preliminary evidence also suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant of concern, as compared to other strains, such as Delta.

    Currently, the number of cases appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa, according to the UN health agency.

    WHO explains that the variant has been detected at faster rates than in previous surges in infection, suggesting it “may have a growth advantage”.

    WHO experts have asked countries to enhance surveillance and genome sequencing efforts to better understand the variant.

    There are also a number of studies underway and the agency’s technical advisory group, known by the acronym TAG-VE, will continue to evaluate this variant.

    WHO will communicate new findings to Member States and to the public as needed.

    WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, said the information about the new ‘Omicron’ variant is still limited.

    “There are fewer than 100 whole genome sequences that are available, we don’t know very much about this yet.

    “What we do know is that this variant has a large number of mutations, and the concern is that when you have so many mutations it can have an impact on how the virus behaves,” she said.

    Kerkhove explained that researchers are currently trying to determine where the mutations are and what they potentially mean for diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.

    “It will take a few weeks for us to understand what impact this variant has, there’s a lot of work that is underway,” she added.

    In addition, the UN health agency urged all countries to adopt a risk-based and scientific approach to travel bans linked to the new variant identified in South Africa and Botswana.

    Kerkhove thanked researchers from these countries for openly sharing information to the UN health agency.

    “Everyone out there: do not discriminate against countries that share their findings openly,” she urged, as countries such as Britain, France and Israel have moved to cancel direct flights from South Africa and surrounding nations.

    The WHO officials restated previous advice: that people can do a lot to protect themselves from COVID, including by continuing to wear masks and avoiding crowds.

    “Everybody that’s out there needs to understand that the more this virus circulates the more opportunities the virus has to change, the more mutations we will see,” said Kerkhove.

    “Get vaccinated when you can, make sure you receive the full course of your doses and make sure you take steps to reduce your exposure and prevent yourself from passing that virus to someone else,” she added.

    According to South African health authorities, so far, fewer than 100 cases of the new variant have been confirmed, largely among young people who have the lowest vaccination rate in the country.

    “Countries can do a lot already in terms of surveillance and sequencing and work together with the affected countries or globally.

    Countries can work together with affected countries or globally and scientifically to fight this variant and understand more about it so that we know how to go about it.

    “So, at this point, implementing travel measures is being cautioned against,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told journalists in Geneva.