The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said the threat of the COVID-19 virus remains within many countries, particularly for high-risk groups.
NCDC said this days after the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern.
NCDC’s director general, Ifedayo Adetifa, said in a statement that WHO’s declaration was to enable countries to transition from acute emergency response to managing COVID-19 as part of integrated healthcare delivery for all infectious diseases.
He added that the threat of the virus remains within countries and globally, particularly for high-risk groups.
“As transmission continues within communities, the risk of new variants emerging and resulting in surges in case numbers and even deaths remains,” Adetifa noted.
Adetifa noted that Nigeria had already de-escalated its COVID-19 response since 2022 in response to local epidemiology focused on encouraging COVID-19 vaccination and recommending discretionary use of face masks and other public health safety measures according to personal risk assessments.
“This continues to be complemented by efforts to leverage the pandemic response (lessons, resources, partnerships, etc) to improve our national health security through health system strengthening, improving public health emergency management training, laboratory and infrastructural upgrades, and strategic focus on improving emergency preparedness and planning at state and local government levels,” he added.
