Gambia records 2 cases of COVID-19 UK variant

By Mustapha K Darboe

BANJUL, Gambia (AA) - Gambia has registered two cases of the new COVID-19 variant discovered in the UK, the country's director of health services told Anadolu Agency.

Like Gambia’s first case of COVID-19, the two patients, a 34-year-old Gambian man and an 82-year-old Gambian woman, also travelled form the UK.

“We are doing a test for a third suspected case,” Dr. Mustapha Bittaye said, adding that all contacts of the patients who were tested have so far been negative.

Gambia has recorded a total of 3,893 infections since the outbreak was discovered in the West African country in March 2020.

With a total of 127 deaths, the small nation has recorded 75 more active cases as of Jan. 13, dropping from 81 a day earlier.

Prior to the detection of the new COVID-19 variant in the country, Gambia’s Health Ministry imposed a mandatory testing and quarantine for all travelers from “hotspot countries where the new strain of coronavirus has been identified”.

“These travelers must undergo mandatory quarantine at their own cost,” said the regulations. Among countries affected by the new regulation are the UK, US, Italy, and France.