Regina Otokpa Abuja 
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has warned that the Delta variant of the COVID- 19 pandemic was more than twice deadly and contagious than the previous variant.
Executive Director NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, who made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja during the weekly briefing on progress of the COVID- 19 vaccination rollout in the country, appealed to those yet to be administered with the vaccine to maximise the opportunity in order to avoid putting others who have received the vaccinations at risk due to further mutation of the virus.
He said: “We would like Nigerians to note the number of COVID-19 cases recorded in this third wave. Please remember that the Delta variant is highly contagious, more than twice as contagious as previous COVID-19 variants and the more a community/society remains unvaccinated, the more they allow this virus to mutate to other more virulent forms.
“We have the vaccines to stop this mutation process and prevent deaths related to this disease. I therefore encourage us to take advantage of the efforts by the Federal Government to ensure citizens are safe and protected from this virus.”
On the call for vaccinated Nigerians to still undergo isolation upon arrival in the United Kingdom, the ED explained that: “We in Nigeria also require fully vaccinated UK citizens to isolate for seven days despite being fully vaccinated. “In diplomatic circles, this is often referred to as the principle of reciprocity.
Nigeria alongside countries like France and the Netherlands are listed as amber countries by the UK government based on criteria such as the number of populations immunized and incidence rates of COVID- 19 infection.
Individuals from Countries listed as amber countries are required by the UK Government to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival and be quarantined for a few days.
“Regardless of a vaccine type or vaccination status, if a Nigerian with a Nigerian passport travels to a country on their green list and spends 14 days there before going to the UK, they would not be quarantined in the UK because they are coming from a green listed country.
Likewise, if a German or Australian that is currently from their green listed country travels to a country like France, Ghana or Italy which is on their amber list like Nigeria, and such an individual spends 14 days or more in these countries before departing to the UK, such an individual would be made to do a COVID-19 test and quarantined, regardless of their vaccination status.
“Just like Nigeria, every country has its own COVID-19 travel rules, protocols and guidelines for travellers coming from other countries…”