KAMPALA, UGANDA: Uganda become the latest African nation to confirm the existence of the new Omicron covid-19 variant with nine (9) cases registered in the country. The Ministry of Health confirmed the new cases on Tuesday morning.
The variant has also been confirmed in seven Southern Africa countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. It has also been confirmed in a number of European countries.
The new Omicron Covid-19 variant was first identified by scientists in South Africa and Botswana in late November and has since its identification been a major concern to health experts as it is feared that it may not respond in treatment to the current Covid-19 vaccines.
Scientists say the new Omicron variant is reportedly more transmissible and could pose a threat to the whole world as countries strive to recover from the pandemic wave.
The new variant has already forced several countries to impose new COVID-19 restrictions and travel bans targeting travellers from Southern African countries.
The European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), United States of America and Canada are some of those countries that have since imposed new travel bans and measures, blocking entry to all travellers from the eight Southern African countries.
Uganda is set to open up the economy fully in January, but with new cases of omicron, it remains to be seen if the country will still open up.
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