NEW DELHI: The Lok Nayak Hospital (LNJP) has 46 patients, whose RT-PCR test reports have tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, and are being suspected of the new Omicron variant. The genome sequencing results of blood samples of all 46 patients are currently awaited.
According to LNJP officials, total 80 patients had arrived from Delhi airport after testing, out of which 34 were discharged later. The patients admitted to the hospital’s isolation ward arrived in India from the United Kingdom, other European and African nations – all Omicron-affected.
“These persons were brought to the hospital from the airport. They arrived in the country from various Omicron-affected countries including Africa, England and Europe,” said a senior official. The hospital administration has admitted them to the Covid isolation wards. “The reports are expected to arrive in 4-5 days,” the official added.
The hospital is Delhi’s dedicated care centre for patients diagnosed with the new Covid variant. So far, Delhi has reported six cases of Omicron. On Tuesday, Delhi logged four cases of the new variant, all of whom returned from abroad and have been asymptomatic.
At present the LNJP hospital has five Omicron cases, with the first patient, a 37-year-old man of Indian origin who had come to Delhi from Tanzania, being discharged earlier. The case was reported on December 5. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain announcing the fresh cases on Tuesday had said that rest of the Omicron patients are in a stable condition.
The hospital authorities previously said that patients infected with the new variant faced mild symptoms unlike other variants. Those with Omicron do not have fever and only a sore throat or body ache. Only one of the patients so far reported low grade fever.
More RT-PCR machines at Delhi airport soon
The number of RT-PCR machines at the Delhi airport will be increased from 120 to 200 within the next few days, said the company tasked with conducting the compulsory Covid test of passengers arriving from ‘at-risk’ countries. Gauri Agarwal, of Genestrings Diagnostics, on Wednesday, said the number of employees deployed at the Delhi airport will also be increased from 600 to 750.