Coronavirus Omicron variant
Coronavirus Omicron variantiStock

Egypt on Saturday said it had detected its first three cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, AFP reported.

Three Egyptians tested positive on their return from overseas, the health ministry said without specifying where they had travelled from. One of them had mild symptoms and the other two had none, it added.

The news comes as the country's air and tourism sectors, which suffered under global lockdowns for the past two years, had just started to recover and were counting on end-of-year holiday visits.

From December 1, Egypt stepped up measures to control the spread of the virus.

It barred officials and students not vaccinated against COVID019 from government offices and universities unless they show a negative PCR test.

Egypt imposed strict measures at the start of the pandemic in March of 2020, closing its airspace and setting nightly curfews to combat the spread of the virus, but it has remained largely open since June 2020.

In May, Egypt announced it would be lifting the COVID-19 restrictions, including easing the early closure of shops and restaurants.

As of Saturday, the country has officially recorded 373,509 coronavirus cases, including 21,277 deaths.

In August, the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) approved a locally produced COVID-19 vaccine for use in the country.

The vaccine is produced by the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac and the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA).

Egypt’s vaccination campaign so far has included the use of the imported version of the Sinovac vaccine along with the Russian Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovak and Sinopharm vaccines.