The health department of Andhra Pradesh informed that so far a total of 15 international travellers tested positive for Covid-19 and all the samples were sent to CCMB for genome sequencing.
Amravati: Andhra Pradesh has detected its first Omicron variant of Covid-19 patient on Sunday. The total of Omicron cases have spiked up to 35 in India.
A statement from Andhra Pradesh’s directorate of public health said the 34-year-old traveller who landed in Mumbai from Ireland initally tested negative for coronavirus diease (Covid-19) when an RT-PCR test was conducted on him.
Based on the report, he was allowed to travel to Visakhapatnam on November 27, when his samples were collected for a re-test, and it came out to be positive.
When the authorities sent his samples to Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) for genome sequencing, the results showed presence of Omicron variant in his blood.
“He does not have any symptoms and was re-tested on December 11, and the RT-PCR result was found to be negative for Covid-19. There are no other Omicron cases in the state,” a media statement by the state’s health department read.
The state health department informed that so far a total of 15 international travellers tested positive for Covid-19 and all the samples were sent to CCMB for genome sequencing. While the reports of 10 samples have been received only one among them were found to contain the traces of Omicron variant.
“Public are advised not to worry and believe in any rumours but continue to take precautions and follow social distancing, wearing of mask, washing hands regularly,” the public health department of Andhra Pradesh stressed.
Earlier in the day, a 20-year-old man from Italy, who arrived in India last month, was found positive for Omicron in Chandigarh.
So far, at 17, Maharashtra has detected the most cases of Omicron variant in the country, followed by nine cases in Rajasthan, three in Gujarat and two each in Delhi and Karnataka.
Experts and virologists have suggested that the spread of the Omicron variant is less concerning than that of the Delta as the symptoms are mild, partly owing to high rate of seropositivity among Indians.
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