Amid the rising concerns over the spreading of new coronavirus variant Omicron, a Bengaluru-based doctor, who had tested positive for Omicron variant of coronavirus and reportedly recovered, has once again tested positive for the virus.
The doctor was among the first two person to be reported with Omicron in the country and the other was a South African national, who was isolated and later flew to Dubai.
“It is true that the doctor who was infected with Omicron variant has once again tested positive for Covid-19,” a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike official said. Requesting secrecy, the official said the doctor is under quarantine, but he is asymptomatic.
Meanwhile, police have recorded a case against the South African national, who is a Gujarati by origin, for flying without informing the authorities in violation of the quarantine norms.
The operation and staff of a five- star hostel then have also been reserved for allowing the infected person leave without informing the health officers.
They’ve been reserved under colorful sections of the IPC and the Karnataka Epidemic Conditions Act, 2020, police sources said.
Also, the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the government is taking measures to set up more genomic sequencing labs in the state. During the alternate surge of Covid, the state government had said six genome sequencing labs were being set up at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Vijayapura.
“We have taken measures to set up genomic sequencing labs, it requires expert facilities and lab equipment. Instructions have been given to the Health Secretary in this regard,” Bommai said.
He said, “we are taking all the required measures to set up more such labs.” Two cases of the Omicron infections were detected in the state last week, one is a South African national who has left the country after testing negative, while the other is a local person, a doctor with no travel history. Further, noting that there are labs in every district to do Covid tests, the Chief Minister said in the case of genomic sequencing, it requires expert facility, and all cases are not set for genomic sequencing, now because of Omicron variant, whenever there is suspicion, we are sending samples for such a test.”
For higher reference samples are also being sent to National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), he said, adding there are no issues as the genomic sequencing reports are coming much quicker than earlier. As of now, labs at NCBS and NIMHANS are the only two laboratories in Karnataka that have been approved by Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) to conduct genomic sequencing.
