By Nyima Sillah
Gambians and non-Gambians residing in the country have been urged to kindly get vaccinated against the deadly new Omicron variant.
The call came days after the Ministry of Health launched a house-to-house coronavirus vaccination within the greater Banjul and West Coast Region. The Ministry of Health also placed travelers from seventeenth countries under new entry requirement in to the country in protecting the people from getting infection with the new variant.
Speaking to Gibril Gando Baldeh, health official at the Ministry of Health’s Expert Directorate of Health Promotion and Education, he advised the public to get vaccinated against the Omicron variant.
“Anyone who is not vaccinated should take the opportunity and get vaccinated because vaccines have proven that since their arrival, they can handle the coronavirus pandemic and it has significantly improved our prevention by reducing the number of cases.
“Most of the covid-19 beds around the world are empty due to the success and effective implementation of the vaccination program in countries around the world. Those who have taken the vaccine should continue washing their hands frequently and observe other Covid-19 preventive measures. The preventive measures go a long way in assisting the prevention and transmission of other variants especially with regards to the new variant,” he said.
“Omicron has still not been identified in The Gambia but is just a matter of time, so we should all expect it at any time. In that regard, we should all follow the safety precautions plus the vaccination to protect ourselves from covid-19 or any variant,” he added.
According to him, the rate of infection of omicron is far higher than the rate of infection of the former variants which is the DELTA virus. Adding that the UK recorded 78,000 cases last week so that sends a signal that Omicron is highly transmissible as it can affect a lot of people in a very short period.
“Omicron is a serious variant that is why WHO classified it as a variant of concern because there are many variants but this one is a concern and has affected many European countries and we are afraid that it might come to Africa. I called on everyone to get vaccinated and continue observing all the Covid-19 preventive measures in other to reduce the cases in the country and get protected from the New Variant that other countries are detecting daily,” he appealed.
