Omicron seen in Ghana after Adams’ visit
The omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected in Ghana on Thursday — a few days after Mayor-elect Eric Adams arrived in the West African country for a long-planned visit.
Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the director general of Ghana’s Health Ministry, said in a live-streamed press briefing that his agency confirmed through genomic sequencing that at least two people infected with the heavily mutated variant flew into the international airport in Accra, the country’s capital, on Nov. 21.
Kuma-Aboagye would not say exactly how many omicron cases were detected, but added that the travelers who tested positive arrived on flights from Nigeria and South Africa.
A spokesman for Adams did not return a request for comment on Kuma-Aboagye’s announcement.
Adams (inset), who will be sworn in as New York City’s 110th mayor on Jan. 1, jetted to Ghana late Monday and is expected to stay through Dec. 8.
Despite international concern over the new variant — which was first discovered in southern Africa last week — Adams went
ahead with his Ghana trip to fulfill a pledge of visiting the country to mark the 400th anniversary of slavery in the U.S.
On Wednesday night, Adams attended a Chanukah celebration at a local Chabad in Accra — the city where Ghana’s first omicron cases were reported.
“I came here to close the open wounds of slavery,” Adams told attendees, according to video from the event posted on the Chabad’s website.
The Chabad also posted photos of Adams posing with Rabbi Noach Majeski, a fellow Brooklynite, and other members of the local congregation. No one pictured was wearing face masks.
Speaking to reporters earlier this week in Brooklyn, Adams dismissed concerns about him flying overseas at a time when public health experts are scrambling to contain the spread of omicron.
“I’m not afraid of anything. I’m an ex-cop. I’m ready to lead my city,” Adams, a retired NYPD captain, said.
Adams also noted that he recently received his booster shot on top of his full coronavirus vaccination and that he’s not running afoul of any public health guidance, since President Biden’s administration has only restricted travel from eight southern African countries.
“Should the federal government change their guidance on travel, I will immediately follow it,” he said. “Meanwhile, New Yorkers must remain vigilant about preventing the spread of COVID, including wearing masks and getting their vaccines and booster shots.”