Telangana: 10 Omicron affected recover; 15 cases await test results

HYDERABAD: The state health department on Friday said 10 people who were under treatment for Covid-19 after being discovered as infected by the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus in Telangana had recovered. It also said no fresh Omicron cases were found, adding that it was awaiting genome sequencing results on 15 samples collected from international air travellers who arrived in the city and tested positive for Covid.

With Friday’s announcement, the number of active cases of the Omicron variant rose to 28. The department said five passengers who landed from at-risk countries on Friday tested positive for Covid and their samples were sent for genome sequencing, adding to the 10 samples sent on Thursday for which results were awaited.

The government, a day after the High Court directed it to take a decision on implementing curbs on gatherings, stricter checks on people entering the state in the wake of the fast-spreading Omicron variant threat, is yet to announce its intentions on this front.

The court has given the state government three days – till Saturday, December 25 – to take ‘appropriate decision’ on this front.

Meanwhile, health minister T. Harish Rao on Friday yet again appealed to people to strictly follow Covid safety norms. “Just because the Omicron variant is believed to be not causing severe disease, we cannot let our guard down. While the state is fully geared up to meet any eventuality, people must play their part, get vaccinated, wear masks and practice safe measures,” he said. The minister was speaking after inaugurating a 100-bed ward at the Vanasthalipuram Area Hospital.

In New Delhi, officials of the Union ministry of health made it clear that every state was expected to have at least 60 per cent to 70 per cent of all Covid tests it conducted to be the RT-PCR kind. However, in Telangana, as per the Centre’s data, most districts do not even touch the 50 per cent mark when it comes to the number of tests conducted using the more reliable RT-PCR tests, against the Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs).

 As per the Centre’s data for tests conducted between December 17 and December 23, only Ranga Reddy, Jangaon and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts logged more than 50 per cent in terms of the number of RT-PCR tests, at 52, 56 and 53 per cent respectively.

Hyderabad district, on the other hand, listed as having only 49 per cent of all its tests listed as performed using the RT-PCR method. At least 19 districts have been listed as relying on the less reliable RATs with the tests conducted using this method ranging from 80 to 99 per cent. The testing data, the official said, was provided by the state.

162 new Covid cases in state, one death

Telangana on Friday saw 162 new Covid-19 cases, the state health department said, adding that one person succumbed to the disease during the day.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area reported 81 cases on Friday, 12 less than on Thursday. The only other districts to report new cases in the double digits were Ranga Reddy with 24 and Hanamkonda with 10 fresh Covid cases.

There were 1,199 people being treated for Covid at various hospitals including those identified as Omicron variant positive. In all, there were 3,547 active Covid-19 cases in the state on Friday with those not in hospitals, staying at home and in isolation, the department said.