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South African’s Covid sample different from delta: Karnataka health minister
“There is a 63-year-old man whose name I should not disclose. His report is a bit different. It appears different from the Delta variant. We will discuss with the ICMR officials and will let people know what it is,” the minister told reporters in Bengaluru.
Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar on Monday said the sample of one of the South African nationals, who tested positive for Covid-19, is ‘different from the Delta variant’. Refusing to further divulge details, the minister said that he is in touch with the Union health ministry and the Indian Council for Medical Research officials.
“There is a 63-year-old man whose name I should not disclose. His report is a bit different. It appears different from the Delta variant. We will discuss with the ICMR officials and will let people know what it is,” the minister told reporters in Bengaluru.
Two travellers from South Africa tested positive for Covid-19 in Bengaluru and their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to determine the variant. Officials said they tested positive for Covid during the RT-PCR tests conducted at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The first passenger arrived in Bengaluru on November 11 and the second arrived on November 16. Both were in quarantine after the positive result, according to health department officials.
A new variant of the coronavirus, classified as Omicron, has spread in several parts of South Africa, forcing many countries to shut their borders. India has instituted a mandatory test-on-arrival, and a 7-day quarantine thereafter if people are negative.
“We have sent the sample to a central government laboratory and are waiting for the final information. We are taking every possible step to contain the spread of the new mutant strain. However, it is said to be spreading rapidly and I’m afraid we cannot stop it as India sees an influx of millions of people every day, being a large country. What we can do, however, is contain it,” the minister added.
The minister said he would chair meetings on Tuesday with the officers of his department, from the principal secretary to the Primary Health Centre level doctors, regarding the steps to be taken. He added that members of the Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 have also been invited to the meeting.
Sudhakar also said that he has sought a detailed report on the Omicron variant. “We will get clear information on December 1 about how the Omicron behaves after the genomic sequencing. Accordingly, we will initiate all measures,” he explained.
Sudhakar said international travellers will be tested carefully and those tested positive will be hospitalised compulsorily. “We are tracking and closely watching all those who came from South Africa in the past 14 days. We have started tracing and testing their primary and secondary contacts since Saturday,” the minister said.
Speaking about Omicron, Sudhakar, a medical professional, said he has spoke to doctors working in South Africa, who told him that the new variant is not as dangerous as the Delta variant.
“The satisfying thing I came across after talking to my classmates in South Africa is that this (Omicron variant) spreads rapidly, but it is not as dangerous as Delta. People feel nausea and vomiting and sometimes the pulse rate goes up, but the loss of taste and smell is not there. There is less hospitalisation because its intensity is not severe,” Sudhakar said.
To be sure, experts have said it may be too soon to make conclusions about the nature of the variant and the disease it causes since cases may have not had the time to progress to severe stages.
The minister also clarified on the speculation that there may be a fresh lockdown, saying there was no such proposal.
