Canadian govt says two persons returning from Nigeria have Omicron variant of COVID-19

The government of Canada has said two people returning from Nigeria tested positive for the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus.

This was disclosed by the Province of Ontario, suggesting that the variant may already be in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the country has begun closing its borders to seven African nations.

The Omicron variant which was first detected in Southern Africa last week has become a major concern to governments around the world as they rush to contain the spread.

The World Health Organization ( WHO) has stated that it is still not clear if the variant is more transmissible than the other variants.

The Canadian government said in a statement on Sunday that, “Today, the province of Ontario has confirmed two cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Ottawa, both of which were reported in individuals with recent travel from Nigeria. Ottawa Public Health is conducting case and contact management and the patients are in isolation.”

Meanwhile, one of the first South African doctors to detect the strain, Dr Angelique Coetzee, said she noticed seven patients at her clinic who had symptoms different from the dominant Delta variant, albeit “very mild.”

“The most predominant clinical complaint is severe fatigue for one or two days, along with headaches, body aches and pain,” she added