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All contacts of India’s 1st Omicron patient test negative, not so for 2nd patient
Karnataka minister Dr K Sudhakar said samples collected from contacts of India’s patient number one - 24 primary contacts and 240 secondary contacts - have tested negative. In all, 218 contacts - 13 primary contacts and 205 secondary contacts - of patient number two were tested. Three primary contacts and two secondary contacts have tested positive for Covid.
BENGALURU: India’s first cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus were reported in Karnataka on Thursday. According to the Union ministry of health and family welfare, a 66-year-old male and a 46-year-old male tested positive for the variant in Bengaluru.
“Two cases of Omicron have been found positive: a 66-year-old male, and a 46-year-old male. We got the results very late last night,” Lav Agarwal, joint secretary at the union ministry of health and family welfare, told reporters. “All primary and secondary contacts have been identified and are under isolation.”
While Agarwal refused to divulge any more details about the two positive cases, Gaurav Gupta, commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) said one of the patients is a South African national who arrived in Bengaluru on November 20 and the second patient is a health care worker in Bengaluru.
The confirmation came after genome sequencing results came from a laboratory under the INSACOG when the samples were sent by the Karnataka government for verification.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has labelled Omicron a Virus of Concern last Friday, and the UN health body suggested that preliminary evidence found an increased risk of re-infection with this variant, as compared to other variants of concern.
Gupta told HT that India’s Omicron patient number one is a South African who landed in Bengaluru on November 20. “The patient is 66-year-old. His samples were collected on November 20 at the (Kempegowda) international airport on the day of his arrival. He had come from South Africa via Dubai. He came to India with an RT-PCR negative test report, but tested positive in the city,” said Gupta.
A report from BBMP said that after the Covid test, he checked into a hotel in the city. After he tested positive, a doctor from the Urban Primary Health Care Centre visited him for a physical triage and found him to be asymptomatic. He was asked to isolate himself at the hotel. “On November 22, his test samples were collected and sent for genomic sequencing via BBMP,” said the report.
It further added that the patient took a self-examination on November 23 and was tested negative. On getting this negative report at 12.34am on November 27, he left for Dubai from where he had come to the country.
Karnataka’s minister for health and family welfare, Dr K Sudhakar said that India’s patient number one had 24 primary contacts and 240 secondary contacts. “The samples were collected from these contacts on November 22 and 23. All of them have tested negative. Even though they have tested negative, we are constantly monitoring their health,” said the minister.
Unlike the first patient who arrived from South Africa, where the variant was first detected, patient number two was a resident of Bengaluru without any travel history.
BBMP’s report said: “On November 21, he developed fever and body ache. He underwent an RT-PCR test on November 22 around 10am and by 4pm, he was declared Covid positive. Since he had a low CT value (which indicates a high viral load), his sample was sent for genomic sequencing,” said the report.
The patient was in home isolation between November 22 to 24. On November 25, he was shifted to a hospital and was discharged on November 27, said the report.
“He (patient number 2) had 13 primary contacts and 205 secondary contacts. Out of which, three primary contacts and two secondary contacts have tested positive for Covid. They are currently at a government hospital, and they are not showing any severe symptoms. We have sent their samples for genome sequencing,” said the health minister.
It remains unclear how patient number two, who doesn’t have a travel history or contact with patient number one contracted the new variant which wasn’t detected in India before. “No comments,” said BBMP commissioner Gupta, when asked about the source of the new variant in the second patient.
Following the detection of the new variant, the Karnataka government has asked the officials concerned to increase testing and tracking at various airports in Karnataka. The government on Tuesday issued directions to test all international passengers arriving in the state.
BBMP commissioner Gupta said while the guidelines for the general public such as avoiding crowds and wearing masks continue, BBMP will increase the number of samples sent for genome sequencing.
Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is in New Delhi to meet union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya to seek permission to administer the third dose of vaccine to frontline workers in the state, is expected to return to Bengaluru on Friday. Officials at CM’s office said that a high-level meeting will be held on his arrival to discuss further steps to be taken.
