KOLKATA: A woman, who returned from the UK, tested positive for COVID-19 here on Friday, a senior official of the West Bengal Health Department said on Friday.
The required specimens were collected and sent for genome sequencing to ascertain whether she had contracted the new omicron variant, which has been classified as a highly transmissible virus of concern, he said.
"A patient from the UK is found positive for COVID-19. She was initially sent to the Beliaghata IDBG Hospita, Later she chose to get admitted at a private hospital for institutional quarantine," the official said.
Her condition is stable, he added.
Top officials of the health ministry had on Thursday informed a parliamentary panel that there are 23 cases of the omicron variant across the country, and authorities are closely monitoring the situation.