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The variant was detected in a traveller to Nigeria, following the routine travel test required of all international travellers and genomic sequencing at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory, Abuja.
The Delta variant is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a variant of concern, given its increased transmissibility.
The variant has been detected in over 90 countries and is expected to spread to more countries.
NCDC explained that the Delta variant has been linked to a surge in cases in countries where it is the dominant strain in circulation, adding that there are ongoing studies to understand the impact of the variant on existing vaccines and therapeutics.