Ghana Says It Has Detected Omicron Variant in at Airport

The Associated Press
By The Associated Press
December 2, 2021Africa
share
Ghana Says It Has Detected Omicron Variant in at Airport
A general view of the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, on Sept. 2, 2020. (Nipah Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

ACCRA, Ghana—Ghana says that its scientists have detected cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in passengers who arrived in the country on Nov. 21.

The cases were detected at the Kotoka International Airport in the capital, Accra, after tests were conducted on incoming passengers, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said Wednesday.

“We have not seen any Omicron within the community of Ghana,” he said, according to tests in the country. But, he added, the danger is that Omicron could be incubating in Ghana.

Weekly samples of 200 passengers arriving at the airport detected that 28 percent from Nigeria and South Africa had the variant, said William Ampofo, a virologist at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, where the sequencing was done.

By Francis Kokutse

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments