Tamil Nadu on Omicron alert; 2 international passengers, including child, test COVID-19 positive

Chennai: Omicron continue to spread rapidly across the globe. In the latest, two international travellers, including a child, who arrived in Tamil Nadu from Singapore and the United Kingdom have tested positive for COVID-19. 

Both Singapore and United Kingdom are high risk countries. The Tamil Nadu government has ruled out reports claiming the new COVID-19 cases were of Omicron but said tests would conclude if the infected with the latest coronavirus variant. 

Tamil Nadu minister for health and family welfare, Ma Subramanian said, "The passenger from Singapore arrived at Tiruchirappally at 3.30 AM (on Friday). He tested positive and has been shifted to the local medical college where he has been quarantined." 

The minister further said that the sample of the man has been sent for genome sequencing. He added, "It will also be sent to a lab in Bengaluru and only after that result would we come to know if he is infected with Omicron." 

The child and its family have been admitted to the King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Chennai. 

The minister, meanwhile, quashed the social media claims that both the cases were Omicron variants, and said that after the report of both the patient arrives, the government would be "transparent" in announcing the results as it would only help in creating public awareness against the pandemic. 

Meanwhile, staff at airports in Chennai, Madurai, and Coimbatore have started mandatory testing of international passengers arriving from 11 'at risk' countries in view of surge in cases of Omicron. 

On Thursday, the Union health ministry informed about the first cases of Omicron in India. The two cases were reported in Karnataka. The ministry in it briefing asked people not to panic and instead follow all the health guidelines issues in the wake of coronavirus. All have been asked to take both the doses of COVID-19 vaccine when their turn comes.