COVID infected UK returnee tests negative for Omicron

kolkata: A woman, who was found infected with COVID-19 here after returning from the UK, tested negative for the Omicron variant of coronavirus, a Health department official said on Monday.

She contracted the Delta Plus strain of coronavirus, he said.

The woman was found positive for the disease on December 10, and her sample was sent for genome sequencing to ascertain whether she had contracted the new Omicron variant, which has been classified as a highly transmissible virus of concern.

"We have received the report of the UK returnee. She is infected with Delta Plus which is prevalent in the state," the official said.

The woman, a resident of Alipore area of the city, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital here.

A Bangladesh returnee had also tested positive for COVID-19 in the state, and his sample was sent for genome sequencing. "Genome sequencing result of his sample is awaited," the official said.

The man is undergoing treatment at the Beleghata ID and BG Hospital, he added.

In the wake of Omicron scare in the Bengal, the Beliaghata ID Hospital has opened a separate unit with 50 beds following the instruction from the state Health department. 25 of these beds have been reserved for men and the rest for women patients. Expert doctors have been deployed at the unit.

Covid infected patients from 'At Risk' countries will have to be kept in hospital isolation till their genome sequencing reports arrive, as per directions of the state Health department.

The state Health department has already alerted all the district health officials about the new strain of Covid that was found in various states.

The Centre also advised all the states to ramp up Covid testing and undertake effective surveillance of international passengers after new Covid variant Omicron found in various countries.