Covid-19: Senegal detects its first cases of the Omicron variant
A doctor at the Pikine hospital in Dakar, April 23, 2020. AFP - JOHN WESSELS
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2 min
The first case was revealed on Friday by the Institute for Health Research, Epidemiological Surveillance and Training, Iressef.
It is about a man who arrived in Dakar two weeks ago, who had participated in a demonstration bringing together nearly 300 people from different countries.
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It was when he arrived in Dakar from a country in the sub-region that the 58-year-old patient tested positive.
It is on the basis of samples obtained by Iressef that the discovery was made on November 26, explains Dr. Abdou Pandane, a researcher within the organization.
“He
was an outgoing traveler who had to take a Covid test to benefit from his health pass to be able to travel.
As soon as the patient is positive, the sequencing is systematically done to see which variant has contaminated the patient.
We discovered that it was the omicron variant that infected the patient.
"
Having no symptoms, this patient had participated in a medical congress bringing together nearly 300 people.
Research is underway to find contact cases, confirms El Hadj Mamadou Ndiaye, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health.
“
This person had come to participate in the congress of anesthesiologists.
So this is where we can possibly know who the people concerned are.
It is a case whose state of health is not alarming, it is out of danger but its contacts will be traced to see from where it was contaminated, etc.
"
Two others were detected on Sunday, this time by the Pasteur Institute in Dakar.
They are a 28-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, leaving for a country in the sub-region and for southern Africa.
For now, no link has been established between the three cases.
There will be other cases, that's for sure.
I am convinced that the Omicron variant will circulate.
There is a measure: vaccinatio, vaccination, vaccination.
People need to get vaccinated.
Doctor Ousmane Faye, Head of the Department of Virology at the Institut Pasteur
Christina okello
The appearance of the Omicron variant comes at a time when Senegal is recording an increase in Covid infections.
The Ministry of Health says it expects more cases.
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