KAKINADA: Three foreign returnees have tested positive for COVID-19 in East Godavari. The patients recently returned to Ravupalem and Ainavilli mandals in the district from Singapore and Bangladesh. Samples of these patients were sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad to determine if they are infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
According to district medical and health officer (DMHO) Dr Gowreswara Rao, a married couple, aged 49 and 41, returned to Gopalapuram in Ravulapalem from Singapore on December 8. Both the husband and wife had tested negative at Chennai airport earlier.
However, their samples collected in East Godavari later, returned positive. Both had complained of fever to the Gopalapuram health staff.
Similarly, a 38-year-old software engineer who recently reached Siripalli, Ainavilli from Bangladesh complained of fever and COVID symptoms a few days later of his arrival. His RT-PCR test result came back positive.
While the three patients are, at present, in home isolation, the health staff were asked to expedite the contact tracing. Even as the CCMB reports are awaited, the three will be tested for COVID again eight days later. As per reports, the district has been seeing an influx of 200 (average) foreign returnees daily.