First Omicron case detected in Bengal; CM urges all to remain calm
KOLKATA: After the first case of Omicron variant was detected in the state on Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged people not to panic.
Meanwhile, director of health services said: "Contact tracing of co-passengers of Omicron positive patient was done today and a list of 37 co-passengers from Air India was received. However, none were showing any symptoms. All these passengers were requested for eight-day isolation and then go for re-testing. Some ten passengers out of the 37 did not respond or could not be contacted and efforts were being made to contact them. Out of the 27 who were contacted 16 belonged to Bengal. One passenger from Bangalore, 4 from Hyderabad, 3 from Manipur, 1 from Meghalaya and 1 from Mizoram."
The first case of Omicron variant in Bengal was detected in Malda. A seven-year-old boy, inflicted with the infection, had been kept in the isolation ward of Malda Medical College and Hospital. The child arrived from Abu Dhabi, one of the non high risk countries on December 11 at Hyderabad and then arrived at Kolkata on the same day. He was found positive at Hyderabad and his sample was sent for genome sequencing.
On Wednesday morning, the child was found positive for the Omicron variant. The child was admitted to Malda Medical College along with his father and sister. The child is stable now.
The contact tracing was being done. If samples collected from his other family members are found positive, then the same will be sent for genome sequencing.
Meanwhile, Mamata Banejee— while addressing a political rally in Kolkata on Wednesday evening –urged people not to panic. "I am told that people do not die of Omicron though the infection spreads fast,"she said adding "wearing masks is mandatory and no slackness in the matter will be tolerated. Wear masks and do not get scared," she maintained.
Banerjee said the state government and Kolkata Municipal Corporation had tackled Covid very well. She urged people to take their second dose immediately if they had missed it. "People's cooperation is urgently needed to fight against COVID," she remarked.
She asked the KMC to intensify its drive against dengue and malaria. "The civic authorities are doing their best to clean the road to stop the spread of the disease. But the residents should follow the do's and don'ts strictly. They should clean their houses and clean the containers where water is stored. Cooperate with the civic bodies to check spread of the disease," she said.
