THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The eight samples of passengers who arrived from high-risk countries, which were sent for genetic sequencing, have turned out to be Omicron negative, health minister Veena George said on Tuesday, December 7, 2021.
The state has so far sent 10 samples of Covid positive passengers from high-risk countries. The results of the remaining two samples are awaited. The minister also said that a passenger who landed at Kozhikode airport from a high-risk country has tested positive for Covid. His sample was also sent for genetic sequencing to find if the infection was due to the Omicron variant, said the statement.
No Omicron infection has been detected in samples sent from Kozhikode (2 persons), Malappuram (2), Ernakulam (2), Thiruvananthapuram (1), and Pathanamthitta (1).
The samples have been sequenced at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) in Thiruvananthapuram. So far 23 Omicron cases have been detected in Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
The Central Government on Sunday issued revised guidelines for international travellers in the wake of Omicron cases reported from multiple countries. The ‘at risk’ countries included Europe, United Kingdom and 11 other countries - South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.