The Ministry of Health has confirmed that Kenya has detected cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
Health CS Kagwe confirms cases of Omicron variant in Kenya
The Omicron variant which was first detected in South Africa in now in Kenya.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe during a past Covid-19 press update
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The news of the new variant was announced on Wednesday, December 15, just a day after Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said the variant had not been detected.
India authorities have also announced that a 24-year-old Kenyan woman who travelled from Kenya was found to have contracted the Omicron variant.
Thehindu.com reported that the woman’s health condition is normal, adding that two of her close contacts were identified and would undergo a RT-PCR test.
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Kenyan journalist Leon Lidigu said that he had noted a lax in the level of testing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport during a recent visit.
“November 30 I went to JKIA and found no Covid-19 tests happening! Health CS today discloses that they have detected Omicron variant in Kenya, hours after India revealed a 24-year-old Kenyan woman who recently travelled to Hyderbad had tested for the variant,” he said.
The Ministry of Health has called for a meeting with governors to address the concerns of the new variant.
CS Kagwe also clarified that none of the Omicron cases in Kenya have been hospitalised.
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Many Kenyans have also been reporting flu-like symptoms pver the past few weeks.
Early data suggests that the new variant is spreading faster than previous versions of the virus.
According to medical experts, it is still too early to tell whether the new variant is more severe than the previous ones.
Some of the most common symptoms of the Omicron variant include dry coughs, fatigue and body aches, headaches and sore throat.
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