Omicron detected in US returnee, who took 3 doses of Pfizer vaccine: BMC

The man had taken three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, sold under the brand name Comirnaty, in the United States. He, however, was asymptomatic and Omicron's presence was confirmed only after testing.

One of the new patients in Mumbai who tested positive for the Omicron variant of the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus after returning from New York had taken three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Friday in a press release. Elaborating on the particular Omicron case, the Mumbai civic body said that the 29-year-old man was tested for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at the city's airport on November 9. His results, subsequently, came back positive and after his samples were sent for genome sequencing, they confirmed the presence of the Omicron variant.

Passengers wearing protective face masks wait to exit upon arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.  (File Photo / REUTERS)

The man had taken three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, sold under the brand name Comirnaty, in the United States. He, however, was asymptomatic and Omicron's presence was confirmed only after testing, the BMC release added.

Soon after the person tested positive for Covid-19 in Mumbai, he was admitted to a hospital as a precautionary measure. The civic authorities also initiated contact tracing, but two of his “high-risk contacts” tested negative for Covid-19, according to the official statement.

Notably, US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer expressed concerns on Friday that the pandemic could extend to 2024 amid reports that the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus was five times more likely to reinfect people than its predecessor, Delta.

Pfizer developed its Covid-19 vaccine with Germany's BioNTech SE. The companies have been developing a version of their vaccine tailored to combat the Omicron variant, but have not yet decided whether it will be needed. They expect to start a clinical trial for the updated vaccine in January, according to a Reuters report citing Pfizer executives familiar with the developments.

Meanwhile, with the recently reported Covid-19 cases in Mumbai, the updated tally of Omicron patients in the country's financial capital has gone up to 14, including the five who are from outside Mumbai.

It is to be noted, however, that 13 of these patients have already been discharged from hospitals. In fact, none of the 14 Omicron patients found in the city so far have reported any severe symptoms of the infectious disease, the BMC said in its release. The cumulative state-wide tally of Omicron patients in Maharashtra has reached 40, it added.