46-YEAR-OLD WHO TESTED+VE FOR OMICRON HAS NO HISTORY OF FOREIGN TRAVEL

BENGALURU: The 46-year-old man, who was among the two persons in the country who tested positive for the new Covid variant, Omicron, is a local doctor and did not have any travel history, Karnataka health minister K Sudhakar said on Thursday.

Addressing reporters here, Sudhakar said: “Two people found positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19. One person is about 66-years-old and a South African national, who has gone back. Another person is a 46-year-old doctor. He does not have any travel history.”

“The 66-year-old, who has left for South Africa, via Dubai, had presented a negative certificate for the virus, from a private lab. His primary and secondary contacts (total 264) were found negative. So it means to say that his certificate may be true,” he added.

According to a report by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the city’s civic body, the first case was that of the 66-yearold South African, who arrived in Bengaluru on November 20. He tested positive for the virus on the same day and was subsequently isolated.

None of the foreigner’s 24 primary contacts and 240 secondary contacts tested positive for the virus, the report said.

BBMP commissioner Gaurav Gupta told HT that the second patient did not have any contact with the South African national.

Asked how the second patient contracted the virus, Sudhakar said: “The patient must have come in contact with someone with travel history. We are still tracking it.” “Out of 46-year-old man’s primary and secondary contacts examined, five have tested positive. So a total of six people have been isolated and admitted to a government hospital. None of them are showing any serious symptoms. All are fully vaccinated,” he added.

THE FOREIGNER’S 24 PRIMARY CONTACTS ALL TESTED NEGATIVE