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Africa News of Friday January 15, 2021
Source: reuters.com
01/15/2021
The Gambia has registered its first two cases of the highly infectious variant of the coronavirus
The Gambia has recorded its first two cases of the highly infectious variant of the coronavirus first discovered in Britain, its health authorities said on Thursday, which appears to be the first confirmation of its presence in Africa.
These cases could hamper the former British colony’s efforts to contain a surge in infection rates to near record levels. It has so far recorded around 3,890 cases and 126 deaths, according to data compiled by Reuters.
Health Services Director Mustapha Bittaye said one of the patients was a 34-year-old Gambian who had traveled from Britain. The other was an 82-year-old Gambian.
“We are vigorously researching the origins of the transmission,” he said.
In a weekly report on Tuesday, the World Health Organization listed 50 countries where the variant had been detected around the world – none of them in Africa.
Across Africa, a second wave of coronavirus is infecting twice as many people per day as at the height of last year’s first wave and has yet to peak, according to the African Centers for Control and disease prevention.
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