Investing.com - Financial Markets Worldwide

Another new coronavirus variant found in Nigeria, says Africa CDC

Published 24/12/2020, 14:53
Another new coronavirus variant found in Nigeria, says Africa CDC

NAIROBI, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Another new variant of the novel
coronavirus seems to have emerged in Nigeria, the head of
Africa's disease control body said on Thursday, cautioning more
investigation was needed.
The news comes after Britain and South Africa both reported
new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that appear to be more
contagious, leading to new travel restrictions and turmoil in
markets.
"It's a separate lineage from the UK and the South African
lineages," John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told an online news
conference from Addis Ababa.
"The one we are seeing in Nigeria, and this is based on very
limited data yet, has the 501 mutation," Nkengasong added,
referring to the variant termed 501.V2 identified in South
Africa and announced by public health officials there on Dec.
18.
The Nigeria CDC and the African Centre of Excellence for
Genomics of Infectious Diseases in Nigeria will study more
samples, Nkengasong said.
The country's principal COVID-19 investigator has just
released publicly the genomic sequences of the new variant, he
added.
Nigeria's CDC did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on Nkengasong's remarks.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with more than 200
million people, has seen fewer coronavirus cases than many
others on the continent.
Total cases crept past 80,000 on Wednesday. Daily recorded
cases exceeded 1,000 for the first time this month.

Latest comments

Install Our App
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.