BHUBANESWAR : With the Centre swinging into action after the WHO termed the new Covid variant Omicron (B.1.1.529) as a ‘variant of concern’, the Odisha government on Saturday made RT-PCR test of all foreign returnees mandatory.
The Health and Family Welfare department has directed all collectors to undertake stringent monitoring of all international travellers especially those from risk countries like Botswana, South Africa and Hong Kong where the variant has already been detected.
Districts, municipal corporations and medical colleges have been asked to send RT-PCR positive samples to designated genome sequencing laboratory. The samples, especially from cluster or high risk/suspected cases will be sequenced timely and meticulously to ensure that no new variant slips through.
Conducting a review of the Covid situation, Additional Chief Secretary of Health RK Sharma asked officials to keep a tab on all foreign returnees and intensify surveillance on schools, colleges, hostels and other congregations discouraging anyone with even mildest of symptoms from attending classes.
Sharma also asked officials to conduct random testing at educational institutions, hostels and enforce Covid appropriate behaviour in in schools, colleges, public places and public transport. Meanwhile, the State recorded 264 new cases including 41 from the 0-18 years age group, in the last 24 hours taking the tally to 10,48,492. As many as 219 cases were reported on Thursday.
The spotlight is back on children following the death of two minors among the three fatalities in a day. The minors who died of the disease included a three-month-old girl from Balangir and a 16-year-old boy from Kalahandi. Director of Public Health Dr Niranjan Mishra said the districts have been instructed that those who test positive for the virus will be isolated and their samples sent to Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) for genome sequencing.