S Africa Returnee, 8 Other International Travellers Test +ve For COVID-19 In Mumbai
Mumbai: As many as nine international travellers, including one from South Africa, who arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai between November 10 and December 2, have tested positive for COVID-19, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has said.
The BMC has sent samples of patients for genome sequencing to find out whether they are positive for the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.
Meanwhile, the Center on Thursday informed that two people in Karnataka have tested positive for the Omicron variant.
The new version of COVID-19 was first reported from South Africa to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 25 November. According to WHO, the first known B.1.1.1.529 infection was from a sample collected on November 9 this year.
On 26 November, WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1529, which has been detected in South Africa as ‘Omicron’. The WHO has classified Omicron as having a ‘type of concern’.
Dozens of countries have imposed travel restrictions on southern African countries since the mutation was discovered. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the new Omicron coronavirus variant has been confirmed in 23 countries and their number is expected to increase.
India has also added several countries to the list from where travellers will have to follow additional measures upon arrival in the country, including post-arrival testing for the infection.
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