Framing of Delta and Omicron COVID-19 variants by Nigerian newspapers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Nigeria recorded over fifty percent increase in COVID-19 due to spikes in both Delta and Omicron variants, with over 223,887 infection crisis cases within two weeks as at December 19, 2021. This study investigated and analyzed Nigerian newspapers’ framing pattern of Omicron and Delta variants during the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopted quantitative research method using relational content analysis as its research design. Findings from the two national newspapers, The Guardian and The Nation with 341 samples content analyzed between December 1st, 2021 and June 30th, 2022 revealed six patterns of frames, and dominants frames were: social distancing and hand washing frame, rumor and misinformation frame, fear and scare mongering frame, while causes and transmission frame, vaccine efficacy frame and government /political influence frame stories received less focus from the editors. The newspapers emphasized on social distancing and hand washing frame in their news stories, similar as their reports during the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in December 2019. The study recommends that the media should devote more time and resources to in-depth analysis that would empower the readers with key information to navigate the uncertainties of the Covid-19 mutations, vaccination and recovery efforts. Health reporters should deepen their social responsibility by educating the public more about Omicron and Delta strains, in lieu of recent discovery of another new XEC variant. Key Words: Corona Virus, Delta Variant, Newspapers, Omicron Variant, Vaccination. About the Authors *Olalekan Salmon Otun, a doctoral candidate with Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria is a lecturer at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba campus, Lagos, Nigeria. His areas of research interest include: Health Communication, Advertising, Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communication. ** Kolade Ajilore, Ph.D., is a Professor and former Head of the Department of Mass Communication, Babcock University, Ilishan- Remo , Ogun State, Nigeria. *** Wasiu Tejuoso, Ph.D., is a lecturer and Head of Department of Mass Communication, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. **** Babatunde Stephen Ogodo is a doctoral candidate with Department of Business Administration, National Open University of Nigeria, FCT Abuja, Nigeria. JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 18, No. 1, April 2026, pp. 69-85. © Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON). Article Citation Otun, O. S., Ajilore, K., Tejuoso, W., & Ogodo, B. S. (2026). Framing of Delta and Omicron COVID-19 variants by Nigerian newspapers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 18 (1): 69-85. Full Article Words: 9,943 Pages: 17 To access full article, click on download.