Omicron fear in Chandigarh after South Africa returnee and his two contacts test COVID positive
City witnesses 8 new positive cases on Monday
Chandigarh, November 29, 2021:
Chandigarh residents are feeling fear of a new South African variant of COVID-19 - B.1.1.529 (Omicron) after a 39 year old male resident of Sector 36 along with his two contacts tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
As per the UT health department, the 39-year-old has returned from South Africa on November 21. He was RT-PCR negative on arrival at the airport. He was quarantined at home on his arrival at Chandigarh. He has been re-tested by RT-PCR on Monday as per protocol. Now, he has turned out to be positive for COVID-19. His one family member and domestic help are also positive for COVID-19. Two other family members are reported to be negative. Report of one family member is awaited. The samples of these new three cases have been sent to Delhi for Whole Genome Sequencing.
The health department informed that as per protocol the positive cases are being shifted to an institutional quarantine facility. The samples of the positive cases will be sent for Whole Genome Sequencing to NCDC, Delhi to ascertain the variant/variant of concern (VoC), if any.
Meanwhile, eight new positive cases of COVID-19 were reported in Chandigarh on Monday. As per the health department, the city has 58 active cases till date.