First case of Omicron local transmission in Telangana

Hyderabad: Telangana state on Tuesday reported its first case of local transmission of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus. Besides, three more passengers who arrived in the city from so-called not at-risk countries positive for Omicron, taking to 24 the number of cases found in the state till Tuesday.

The results of 13 Covid-19 positive persons whose samples were sent for genome sequencing are awaited, it said.

According to sources, an oncologist at a large corporate hospital who was treating an Omicron-positive cancer patient who came from Africa, caught Covid reportedly from the patient. The genome sequencing of the doctor's sample showed that the oncologist had caught the variant, becoming the first case of local transmission of the fast spreading Omicron in Telangana.

The state health department has started collecting samples from all the patients treated by the doctor, as well as all other contacts from December 16, the day the foreign patient tested positive for Omicron, and sending them for Covid-19 and Omicron tests.

The department said on Tuesday that 726 passengers arrived from at-risk countries and of them four were found to be Covid positive and their samples were sent for genome sequencing.

The department said that so far, it had found 59 Covid positive cases from among international arrivals since November 30 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, from both at-risk, and not at-risk countries.