Tunisia has reached a good level of immunity acquired against the COVVI-19, which allows the country to remain safe from new waves of contamination, even with the emergence of the new variant “Nimbus”.
This was said on Monday the director general of the National Center for Pharmacological Vigilance, Riadh Daghfous, in a declaration to the TAP agency. According to him, this variant does not represent a serious threat to Tunisia, especially since its symptoms are considered less severe than those of seasonal viruses.
Professor Daghfous said that no contamination by the Nimbus variant has been detected to date on Tunisian territory. He also wanted to reassure the population by affirming that this variant does not have the capacity to cause a significant outbreak of serious cases. The relative lightness of symptoms, combined with high collective immunity, considerably limits the risk of rapid spread.
This immunity, according to the official, has been built since the appearance of the COVVI-19 in Tunisia in March 2020, thanks to both natural contamination and vaccination campaigns carried out nationally. He added that the reference laboratory of Charles Nicolle hospital noted a significant decrease in the circulation of virus in the country, with an average of only two cases per week recorded in the last year.
For almost a month, Tunisia has not identified any case of COVID-19, a situation which distinguishes it from European countries recently faced with a revival of infections. This epidemiological stability testifies to the effectiveness of the health measures adopted and the level of protection of the population against the virus.
However, Riadh Daghfous called not to release vigilance, especially in the face of seasonal viruses which continue to circulate and cause hospitalizations, especially in people with chronic diseases. He recalled that the Nimbus variant, an omicron sub-variant known as scientific name NB1.8.1, appeared in China in January 2024 before spreading to several European countries since March and April 2025. Its share in global contamination has increased from 2 % to around 10 % in a month.
