THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A high-level meeting held to assess the Omicron situation in the state on Tuesday decided to conduct a confirmatory test on people coming from other states. If they test positive for Covid, the Omicron confirmation testing will be done with the help of genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the person.
As many as 15 Omicron cases have been reported in the state so far and all these patients are under hospital quarantine. Health Minister Veena George said people with Omicron will be discharged only after observation even after they test negative. She urged international travellers undergoing the mandatory self-monitoring of health to follow the protocol strictly as some of them have been flouting it.
“We will increase the testing on people coming from non-high-risk countries. The community surveillance will also be intensified. We need to be vigilant and follow the Covid protocol during Christmas and New Year celebrations,” said the minister.
As per the Central government guidelines, 2% of people arriving from countries other than those designated as high risk will be tested at the airport.While the people coming from high-risk countries have to undergo seven-day home quarantine followed by seven-day self-monitoring, those from other nations have to undergo 14-day self-monitoring, during which they should not mingle with crowds.
The meeting reviewed the hospital facilities and decided to enlist the support of private hospitals if the number of patients increases.
75% fully inoculated in state
The state achieved the milestone of completing vaccination of 75% of the eligible population on Tuesday. It has administered the first dose to 97.88% of the people and second dose to 75%. At the national level, it is 88.33% and 58.98%, respectively. The state has a stock of 10 lakh doses, but a section of people have turned away from vaccination citing various excuses, said the minister.