NEW DELHI: Omicron has reached Delhi. The national capital reported its first case of the new Covid-19 variant on Sunday, December 5, 2021. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar said in a statement that the patient found with Omicron had returned from Tanzania. He has been isolated at Lok Nayak Hospital — Delhi’s dedicated Omicron care centre.
Jain said the Delhi government is testing every person flying in from affected countries. “So far, 17 positive cases have been found and all have been admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital. Six others who came in direct contact with them have also been admitted.”
According to health officials, the patient had sore throat, weakness and body ache. His travel history is being collated and persons he came in touch with are being traced. The Delhi government has set up 40 isolation wards in Lok Nayak Hospital, with an additional 500 beds ready if needed.
Jain said genome sequencing of all 17 who tested positive has been done. “One person who came from Tanzania has been confirmed to have the Omicron variant. This is the first case of the Omicron variant being found in Delhi,” he said.
Jain urged people not to panic and remain careful. “Omicron is not a new disease but a variant of the coronavirus itself. Its symptoms are also similar to almost all the other variants. The protocol for its treatment and prevention are also the same as before. We just need to be careful. People who have not yet taken the vaccine should get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said.
Under the new norms, RT-PCR tests are mandatory for passengers arriving from the “at-risk” countries. The central government recently announced the list of “at-risk” countries that include --- all European countries, including the UK, and South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.