The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Friday that amid the growing panic of omicron, the Covid-19 test report of an international passenger who arrived at Mumbai International Airport between November 10 and December 2, including from South Africa, positive.
BMC added that samples from all nine travelers have been sent for genome sequencing for further investigation of the variant. This was the day after the first Omicron case was discovered in India, when two Covid-19-positive aviators flying from South Africa to Bangalore tested positive for the new worrying variant. A new study published by South African scientists on Thursday shows that compared with Delta or Beta strains, Omicron is three times more likely to cause reinfection in humans.
However, the federal government has asked citizens not to panic, but to follow Covid-related behaviors and get vaccinated immediately.
The center has implemented strict monitoring of the airport and tightened testing measures.
At the same time, the government of Tamil Nadu rejected media reports claiming that the Omicron case was discovered in the state. “The passenger from Singapore arrived in Tiruchirapally at 3 am (Friday). He tested positive and has been transferred to the local medical school for isolation.
His sample will undergo genome sequencing. There is a facility here…it will also be sent to the lab in Bangalore. Only after the results are obtained, we can know if he is infected with Omicron,” State Health Minister Ma Subramanian told reporters. Chennai.
India registered 9,216 new cases of COVID-19 infection on Friday. Data from the Ministry of Health of the Union showed that the number of deaths increased by 391 to 470,115, while the number of active cases was 99,976.
News Source : Hindustan Times
