Passenger from South Africa tests positive in Mumbai, samples sent for testing for Omicron variant

A 32-year-old man who returned to Mumbai via Dubai and New Delhi from South Africa’s Cape Town had tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival and his samples have been sent for genome sequencing to check for the new variant ‘Omicron’. According to a Indian Express report, The man, a merchant navy engineer is a resident of Mumbai’s Dombivli area and returned to the country on November 24.“The passenger travelled from Cape Town to Delhi via Dubai. He gave a sample in Delhi and was allowed to board the connecting flight to Mumbai. On arrival in Mumbai, he was found to be positive. He is asymptomatic and had home quarantined himself. Later, the corporation quarantined him in an institution,” said Pratibha Panpatil, Chief Medical Officer of  the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC).

KDMC health officials said they have alerted the airport authorities and efforts are on to locate the man’s co-passengers. Dr Pradeep Vyas, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) said, “We have sent his samples for genome sequencing to find out if he is carrying the Omicron varint.”According to the Centre’s November 11 guidelines for international passengers, samples for RT-PCR tests are to be submitted on landing, after which passengers are allowed to leave the airport. Passengers are to follow home quarantine for seven days, with a mandatory retest on the eight day. Following the emergence of the new Omicron variant, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also started tracking and contacting the 466 passengers who arrived in the city over the last 15 days from the “countries of concern”, including South Africa, and will take samples from them for RT-PCR tests.