Omicron Variant: Stakeholders Task Nigerians On Non-pharmaceutical Preventive Measures

In a bid to contain the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in Nigeria, stakeholders in the health sector have urged Nigerians to strictly adhere to the non-pharmaceutical preventive measures.

Stakeholders who spoke with IREPORTER ONLINE at the 11th Annual Symposium of the Health Writers Association Of Nigeria (HEWAN), in Lagos, said Nigeria will continue to record new variants of the COVID-19 virus, if its citizens fail to adhere to the non-pharmaceutical preventive measures.

A professor of virology, Oyewale Tomori, said Nigeria cannot win the war against the COVID-19 virus with vaccine alone. “What will stop COVID-19 virus is you and I, wearing our nose mask at all time. The virus moves from one person to another and the mask is meant to prevent that from happening,” he said.

Countries that strictly adhere to preventive measures recorded just one variant, said Tomori, adding that, “Countries like China and New Zealand have recorded cases of Wuhan alone, whereas, Nigeria has recorded several cases from different COVID-19 variants and the reason for that is because Nigerians do not adhere to the non-pharmaceutical measures of wearing nose mask, frequent hand washing and maintaining social distancing.”

The President, Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Innocent Ujah, also warned Nigerians, especially those who are vaccinated not to careless, while urging them to continue to adhere to preventive measures. Ujah said that preventive measures, like wearing nose mask, frequent hand washing and maintaining social distancing should still be adhered to, noting that research is still ongoing to ascertain the degree of protection vaccines provide against the virus and transmission.