Director of Health Promotion & Education
(Photo: Modou Njai)
By Landing Ceesay
The Ministry of Health has announced that the Gambia has registered 26 cases of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus.
Thirteen of the 26 highly contagious Omicron Variant cases recently detected in the country are travellers.
“The Ministry of Health wishes to inform the public that Genomic sequencing of positive COVID-19 test results from The Gambia has identified 26 cases with the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus, 13 of whom are outgoing travellers. The samples were collected between the 22nd and 28th of December 2021 and the results confirmed the presence of the highly contagious Omicron Variant in the country and thus underscores the need for the public to consider healthy choices this holiday season to protect themselves and their loved ones.
“The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been called a variant of concern by WHO based on the evidence that it has several mutations. New variants like Omicron are a reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from being over. As a result of the presence of this new variant, the testing and quarantine protocol is thus updated with effect from 17th January 2022,” the Health Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The Health Ministry informed the public that all outgoing passengers from The Gambia will be required to adhere to COVID-19 testing requirements for the destination countries upon confirmation by the Port Health Officers or airline representatives as might be published.
“For the general population, the Ministry of Health is soliciting the continuous support and cooperation of the public in its efforts to contain COVID-19 in the country. Any member of the public who has symptoms similar to that of COVID-19 can call 1025 for enquiry. The general public is advised to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus by regularly wearing a mask that covers your nose and mouth, Ensuring that your hands are clean when you put on and remove your mask, keeping a physical distance of at least 1 meter from others etc.,” the statement added.
The Gambia registered its maiden case in March 2020 and the virus has so far killed close to 400 people. Thus, the need for everyone to get vaccinated and follow the regulations to be safe from the deadly pandemic.