A first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been reported in Senegal, in a visitor who was leaving the country after an international meeting in capital Dakar, a research institute said.

The IRESSEF health body said late Saturday that the 58-year-old patient arrived in Senegal by air from another West African country on November 22.

He had been vaccinated earlier this year with the AstraZeneca and Pfizer shots and had no symptoms by Saturday.

Although the man has now been quarantined in a medical centre, he stayed at a Dakar hotel and took part in an event with 300 people from different countries on November 24-25.

Senegal has recorded more than 74,000 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.

Launched in February, the country's vaccination campaign has made slow progress, with 1.3 million people inoculated out of a total 17 million population.