By ABUJAH RACHEAL

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), registered 145 additional lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in nine states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Saturday.

The NCDC, via its verified website on Sunday morning, said that the additional infections in the country moved up to 253,685 on Saturday, indicating on Saturday alone, there was an increase from the 35 cases recorded the previous day.

It noted that three deaths were reported in the country on Saturday, as the country’s total death toll is now 3,139.

The agency added that Imo state led on the list with 65 infections, while Lagos, Ondo and Kano reported 36, 20 and 6 cases respectively. Osun and Rivers registered six cases each while other records are the FCT (3), Delta, Kaduna, and Ogun, one each.

According to it, a total of 230,126 Nigerian residents have recovered from COVID-19.

The agency added that the Omicron variant is the dominant variant in the country and ‘BA.2,’ the sub-variant of the strain, is more prevalent in India now.

“The B.1.1.529 lineage of COVID-19 was named Omicron. However, it was discovered later that this lineage has certain sub-variations. The three most common types are: “B.1.1.529.1 (BA.1– currently predominant), B.1.1.529.2 (BA.2 – raised concerns) and (B.1.1.529.3 (BA.3).

“It could be more infectious, but there has been no evidence that flags it as more harmful,” it added.

Meanwhile, The World Health Organization (WHO), on February 1, pointed that the BA.2 sub-variant has been detected in 57 countries, predominantly in Asia and Europe. (NAN)

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