Uganda Confirms Seven Cases of Omicron Covid Variant

Uganda has confirmed seven cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, Health Minister Dr. Ruth Aceng announced Tuesday saying the five cases came from Nigeria and two from South Africa.

"They've been isolated. We are monitoring them. They are not severely ill, so there is nothing to worry about," the minister said, adding that the results were received from the labs Monday night.

First announced by South Africa, the variant is already in over 30 countries, but the health minister said reviews from experts show that its impact on human health is "mild", especially among the vaccinated.

"It is more being seen in those who are unvaccinated. This stresses further the importance of getting vaccinated," she said in an audio broadcast today afternoon.

Dr. Aceng, however, noted that the virus could have spread all over the globe before it was detected, adding: "It moves very fast from person to person."