KOCHI: The samples of a Russian national, who arrived from Dubai and tested positive for Covid-19, have been sent for genome sequencing to check for the Omicron variant.
Authorities expect the result in two days. The 26-year-old tested positive for Covid during Rapid RT-PCR tests conducted on him on his arrival at the Cochin airport on Sunday morning. Health officials said the Russian national is vaccinated and asymptomatic. “He is completely fine. He has taken the vaccine available in Russia,” said a health official.
It has been learnt that he has been to various countries before he reached Kerala. “He reached Kochi from Dubai, where he was under quarantine for eight days on his arrival from UK. He travelled to India after an antigen test turned negative. We don’t expect his genome sequencing result to show the presence of Omicron variant as he reached here after undergoing quarantine,” said a health official.
Meanwhile, with the row over not conducting RT-PCR tests on 20 international passengers, who reached Cial on November 28, continuing, the health department has clarified that the authorities had not yet started conducting tests on passengers coming from ‘at risk’ countries, where Omicron was reported. They began to conduct the tests only on December 1, two days after the guidelines of the Central government were issued.
“Twenty people from various countries reached Kochi from Dubai. Some were travelling from Russia. Five of them have been traced in Ernakulam and have been asked to undergo quarantine. We will subject them to RT-PCR tests,” said a health official in Ernakulam.
Currently, RT-PCR tests are conducted on passengers from 12 ‘at risk’ countries, while people from other nations are subjected to random checks. The Russian national had reached the airport from Dubai in an Indigo flight at around 6am. Currently, he has been lodged at an isolation room in a Covid care centre at Ambalamughal.
