By politico staff writer
Omicron, the newly discovered variant of COVID-19 was on the 25th of November confirmed on an inbound flight passenger from Nigeria who arrived at the Freetown International Airport.
A joint press statement from NaCOVERC and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation acknowledged the presence of the variant in Sierra Leone and equally underscored the need for “vaccination uptake and general precautionary measures needed to protect the population against COVID-19”.
Both departments also announced they will be alongside their partners to carry out the third vaccination surge, plans of which were said to be at a final stage. They hoped the surge will contribute to vaccine efforts in the Western Area and border districts with the neighbouring countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The team also asserted that their detection of the first omicron case was a demonstration of their resolve to testing and surveillance and the country’s “genomic sequencing capabilities”.
The joint statement called on the populace to observe measures for their health and safety during this Christmas. WHO confirmed the detection of omicron on the 26th November 2021.
Over twenty countries have reported the presence of Omicron, with South Africa believed to be the first to record the new COVID variant. Some countries have put stringent travel ban measures in place, to combat the problem.
Copyright © Politico Online 10/12/21
