Omicron scare: UK passenger tests COVID positive at Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: Of the 325 passengers who were screened at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, a 35-year-old woman arriving from the United Kingdom has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. So far, she has no symptoms and is in a stable condition.

Her DNA sample has been sent for genome sequencing and she has been put in an isolation ward in Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS), director of Public Health and Family Welfare Srinivas Rao said at a press conference here on Thursday, adding that whether she has Omicron or Delta variant will be known only after receiving the genome sequencing results.

This news comes at a time when the United Kingdom has chronicled 32 cases of the deadly Omicron variant so far.

Srinivas Rao stated that all data with regards to the deadly Omicron variant of the Coronavirus has been sent to district surveillance teams. As such, all passengers coming to Telangana are being vigorously monitored.

He further argued for doing away with the rapid-RTPCR test at airports which costs Rs 4000 and vouched for the regular RTPCR test. “If the regular test takes 4-6 hours then it is alright for the public to await their results instead of adopting a more expensive alternative,” he added.

The director said that 25 lakh people in Telangana have not taken the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has recorded a vaccination rate of 107 per cent for the first dose and a meagre 72 per cent for the second dose which poses a cause of concern.

The public has been asked to carry their vaccination certificates with them and people who default on wearing their masks will be fined Rs 1000.

The director while advising the public to adopt precautionary measures has also stated that more than 80 lakh doses are present with the Telangana government and as such, the public should make use of it to protect themselves from further risks.