Omicron alert: 35YO Covid +ve passenger from UK tests negative for new variant
The woman had tested positive for COVID-19 after she arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 6 Dec 2021 6:32 AM GMT
Hyderabad: A 35-year-old Covid 19 woman passenger from the United Kingdom has tested negative for the Omicron variant in whole-genome sequencing.
The woman had tested positive for COVID-19 after she arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad.
"The woman from Britain was negative for the Omicron variant. The rest of the report[ for the remaining 12 positive cases] is likely to come in the evening," said Dr. G Srinivasa Rao, Director of Public Health, Telangana.
She was isolated at TIMS, Gachibowli, and her sample was sent for genome sequencing. The woman does not have any symptoms.
She was traveling with 324 passengers who all tested negative. Of the total passengers, 239 were from Telangana, 72 from Andhra Pradesh, 10 from Maharashtra, two from Madhya Pradesh, and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. All of them have to be tested again after eight-10 days by the respective state surveillance teams.
Till December 5, Health officials at the airport had collected a total of 979 samples from travelers of 12 at-risk countries. Of which around 13 samples tested positive for COVID19. The genome sequencing results of 12 other passengers are awaited
Mandatory RT-PCR tests
Passengers arriving from 12 'at-risk' countries which have reported the Omicron variant of COVID-19 now have to undergo RT-PCR tests at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad. This is in addition to pre-departure COVID-19 testing undertaken 72 hours before their departure.
The health department started implementing the new guidelines for international arrivals issued by the ministry of health and family welfare (MOHFW) from midnight of November 30.
The 12 at-risk countries include entire Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Israel.
As per the ministry's guidelines, the passengers have to stay at the airport till their reports are out. In case a person tests positive, he or she will have to undergo 14-days isolation at TIMS, Gachibowli. The samples will be sent to the laboratories in CCMB, CDFD, and Gandhi Hospital to identify the variant. Those who test negative will be asked to undergo home quarantine.
