Uganda has confirmed at least nine cases of the new Omicron B.1.1.529 Covid-19 variant amongst travellers who entered Uganda in November through the national hub Entebbe airport.
The director of clinical services, Charles Olaro, said the variant was detected in travelers from South Africa and Nigeria who arrived in Uganda on Nov. 29.
“We have already notified them about their status and they are already in isolation,” he said.
Olaro said the first tests done on the travelers after arrival at Entebbe International Airport showed they were positive for the coronavirus and further testing confirmed the new variant.
“We know about it [cases of Omicron variant]. We will intensify surveillance,” Dr Charles Olaro revealed on Tuesday in a press meeting.
A report from Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) indicates that from 13 samples collected November 29 from travellers at Entebbe International Airport, eleven were sequenced and seven turned out positive for the Omicron variant.
“The travellers arrived from Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo and Netherlands aboard Ethiopian Airways, Uganda Airlines, Kenya Airlines and Airlink,” UVRI said in a statement December 6.
Omicron was first identified by scientists in South Africa and subsequently reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on the November 24, 2021- raising global alarm.
The variant with several mutations has so far been reported in the United States of America, Europe, Israel and China among other countries.
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