Delhi Reports the Fifth Case of Omicron in India

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Dec 5: In yet another case of the travelers from abroad bringing in Omicron variant to the country, India reported the fifth case of the new variant of a patient admitted in a Delhi hospital. It was the first case in the national capital, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Sunday.

Jain said a patient admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, who had returned from Tanzania, had tested positive for the new variant. He said the patients was a man of Indian origin who had come to Delhi from Tanzania a few days ago and tested positive. The patient had sore throat, weakness and body ache according to health officials who added that the patient’s travel history was being collated and his contacts are being traced. Jain said the Delhi government was testing all the people coming from the affected countries.

“So far, 17 corona positive cases have been found and all these patients have been admitted to LNJP Hospital,” he said. The Minister added that along with this, six people who have come in direct contact with these 17 positive cases have also been admitted to the isolation ward and are under observation and getting the best possible treatment. Genome sequencing of all 17 was done so that the new variant of Omicron could be confirmed.

So far, genome sequencing of 12 people has been completed, out of which according to the initial report, one person who came from Tanzania has been confirmed to have the Omicron variant.

This is the fifth case of the variant detected in India. The first two cases were reported from Karnataka earlier this week. The other two cases were detected from Gujarat and Maharashtra on Saturday. Except for a local doctor in Karnataka, all other cases of Omicron variant were detected from the patients who travelled to or came from South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Omicron was first detected in South Africa on November 25 and has been described as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO). In Delhi all COVID-positive international travellers are being admitted to the LNJP Hospital, where a dedicated ward has been set up for isolating and treating them.

According to the Centre, the countries designated as “at-risk” are all European countries, including the UK, and South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel. Under the new norms, RT-PCR tests are mandatory for passengers arriving from the “at-risk” countries.

Speaking about the development Jain said, “People of Delhi should not panic. Omicron is not a new disease but a variant of the coronavirus itself. Its symptoms are also similar to almost all the last variants,” he said. The Minister added that the protocol for its treatment and prevention is also the same as before.

“Seeing the cases of corona decreasing, people were not following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour but now is the time when you need to be more careful. People who have not yet taken the vaccine should get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said. He further added, “The Delhi government had completed its preparations even before the arrival of the new Corona variant. To combat this virus, the Delhi government established 40 isolation wards in Lok Nayak Hospital, with an additional 500 beds ready to go if needed.”

In response to the Central Government’s decision not to halt flights from all countries affected by the Omicron variant,  Jain stated, “It is very unfortunate. Five new cases have been reported in the country so far. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had written a letter to the Center and appealed to stop the flights coming from these countries for some time. But the Central Government did not do so”.

He further added that “Delhi receives the maximum number of flights from abroad, so Delhi is most at risk from this. The Central Government should accept the demand of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and flights coming from all the countries affected by the Omicron variant should be banned at the earliest.”

India saw a single-day rise of 2,796 fatalities on Sunday with Bihar carrying out a reconciliation exercise of its Covid data, pushing the country’s death toll to 4,73,326, while 8,895 new infections were reported, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Sunday. India’s total tally of Covid-19 cases has increased to 3,46,33,255, according to the data updated at 8 am.

Two women publishers from Pune attending the 94th Marathi literary meet, Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, in Nashik, Maharashtra tested positive for Covid-19. Officials have flagged concern as thousands have attended the three-day event from December 3 to 5. They have begun tracing those who came in contact with the two women. Sources have said several attendees and dignitaries at the literary event had flouted Covid guidelines, not wearing masks or social distancing, at times.

Though no cases of Omicron variant have been reported in Telangana so far, a senior health official said, “It would not be surprising if the new variant gets reported in Hyderabad or Telangana.” The Telangana government has geared up for the possible third wave and has also intensified vaccination programme, he said.
“Towards this new Omicron variant we intensified our surveillance mechanism at the international airport here. Since December 1, as many as 979 international travellers from ‘at-risk’ countries arrived at Hyderabad international airport and on Saturday 70 international travellers came,” Director of Public Health (DPH) Dr G Srinivasa Rao told reporters in Hyderabad. Results of the genome sequencing of samples from 13 passengers who tested positive are expected to arrive this evening or tomorrow.
An action plan has been chalked out to improve the coverage with two doses by December 31, he said. The state government is completely geared up and has made necessary preparations to tackle a probable third wave of Covid-19, he said. These measures including oxygen beds, beds dedicated for children and oxygen generating plants.

Himachal Pradesh has become the first state to fully vaccinate 100 per cent of its adult population against Covid-19. In an event to mark the achievement, BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Jagat Prakash Nadda inaugurated an out-patient department (OPD) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bilaspur. As many as 53,86,393 eligible adults have been administered the second dose, a state official said. Himachal Pradesh was also the first state to achieve the 100 per cent first dose vaccination of its adult population by the end of August.

The United Kingdom meanwhile has re-introduced compulsory pre-departure tests for all those planning to travel to the UK before entering the country amid fears of the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Starting Tuesday, all those arriving to the UK, including vaccinated passengers and anyone above the age of 12, must provide a pre-booked negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or lateral flow test taken no earlier than 48 hours before departure, official sources said.
It has also put Nigeria in its travel ban red list from Monday morning. British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights, arriving to England from countries on the red list – which includes South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola and now Nigeria – are required to book a managed quarantine hotel in advance.

The US too has made it mandatory for all incoming passengers, including those from India, to carry a negative Covid-19 test report or a proof of recovery from the contagion amidst rising number of cases of the new Omicron variant. “This amendment updates Covid-19 testing requirements for air passengers 2 years or older boarding a flight to the United States,” Indian government officials informed Indian-American community leaders on Saturday.
As per the new amended order effective for flights departing to the US from a foreign country from December 6, passengers are required to show a negative COVID-19 viral test result taken no more than 1 day before travel.

Meanwhile, 40 students of a school in Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district tested positive for Covid-19 infection on Sunday, officials of the health and family welfare department confirmed. The new cluster has been identified at Jawahar Navodaya School at Seegodu near Balehonnur after samples of 418 people, including students and staff, were tested after three students had contracted Covid-19 the previous day.
“With this, the total number of active cases in the cluster has risen to 43, with most of them being asymptomatic. Their health parameters are being monitored continuously and the school has been sealed for the next fortnight. All infected people have been quarantined in different blocks within the campus itself,” a senior official from the district administration said.

The union health ministry data said half of the eligible population in the country was now fully vaccinated, with over 1.03 crore doses being administered on Saturday. Around 21.38 crore unutilised doses are still available with states. In total, 85% of the eligible adult population has now received the first dose, while 50.35% are fully vaccinated. Rising numbers in over 30 districts, however, are a bit of concern for the Health Ministry, which cautioned five states and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Saturday regarding the same.
The Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Mizoram and J&K, regarding their districts reporting an increase in new cases in the week ending December 3 compared to November 26. They have been directed to send all positive samples for genome sequencing, to rule out Omicron.