THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Creating a major health scare, a person detected with Omicron was found to have flouted self-monitoring norms and visited shopping malls and restaurants in Ernakulam. Health department officials have said the person has a long contact list which they are preparing.
Health Minister Veena George said the department will publish his route map and asked people who came into close contact with the infected person to get in touch with the department. “The norms of self-monitoring will be strictly implemented after the person from a non-high-risk nation has been detected with Omicron,” she said.
A review meeting chaired by the minister on Thursday also directed the district officials to up the vigil. The 37-year-old man came from Central African country Congo, which is not included in the list of high-risk nations as per the advisory issued in the wake of Omicron outbreak.
While people coming from high-risk countries have to undergo seven-day home quarantine followed by seven-day selfmonitoring, those who come from other nations have to undergo 14-day self-monitoring, during which they should not mingle with crowds or attend functions.
Isolation wards ready in all dists: Min
Healt h Minister Veena said isolation wards have been kept ready in all districts. “Those who need treatment in private hospitals can avail it. We have intensified monitoring in airports and seaports. Labs have been kept ready for screening in these locations,” said Veena.
“More samples will be sent for genetic testing under the prevailing situation. Samples of Covid-positive people from newly formed clusters will also be sent for genetic testing. There will be a special drive to increase vaccination on Friday and Saturday,” she added. Two persons in the primary contacts of the Congo returnee turned out to be Covid negative.
One is his brother and the other one came to pick up the returnee from the airport. Both of them will be under close monitoring for seven days, said the health minister. The state reported the first Omicron case on December 12, followed by four more on December 15. The state started screening international passengers based on the Centre’s guidelines from December 1.
People coming from high-risk countries are being tested on arrival. As per the Centre’s guidelines, 2% of people arriving from countries other than those designated as high risk will also be tested at the airport. The samples of people who have tested positive on arrival and their contacts who become positive are sent for genetic tests to determine the presence of Omicron.
Details from four airports since Dec 1
Number of people who arrived: 1,47,844
Number of people tested: 8,920
Number of people who tested Covid positive: 15 (13 from high-risk and 2 from non-high-risk countries)
54 samples sent for genetic testing (including of people who came from high-risk countries before December 1 and people undergoing retest on the 8th day of arrival)
Results of genetic testing available: 44 (5 Omicron variant and 39 Delta variant)