Omicron: 4 from ‘at-risk’ Countries Test Covid+ve in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: At least four individuals who arrived in Odisha from ‘at-risk’ countries — where the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is infecting people, have tested Covid-19 positive, an official said on Wednesday, adding their samples have been sent for genome sequencing.

“As many as 982 people from various ‘at-risk’ countries have arrived in Odisha and four of them have tested Covid positive so far. All four persons are asymptomatic and their health condition is stable. They are under isolation now,” Odisha public health director Niranjan Mishra told reporters here.

The samples have been sent for genome sequencing to trace if they are infected with the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 but there is no need to panic, he said.

As a new variant of the virus has been detected, there is much talk on this and the cases are being put under observation, Mishra said.

Asked whether some of the returnees are untraceable, the director said: “Some of them are not picking phones and in a bid to trace them, our health workers and rapid response teams are visiting different villages. Once the exercise will be completed, we will be able to know how many of them are untraceable.”

Stating the Odisha government has successfully managed the first and second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mishra said: “We are fully ready to deal with possible third wave of the pandemic.”

Odisha reported 255 fresh Covid positive cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 8,426.

Health department sources said the 255 new infections included 54 cases in the age group of 0 to 18 years. The state now has 2,142 active cases.

(IANS)