India / S Africa returnee, his 2 contacts test positive for COVID-19 in Chandigarh

Chandigarh: A 39-year-old man, who returned from South Africa on November 21, tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, UT health officials said while adding that it is yet to be ascertained if the man is positive for the new ‘Omicron’ variant of the virus.

The man, a resident of Chandigarh’s Sector 36, had tested RT-PCR negative on his arrival at the airport. After that, he was quarantined at his residence and re-tested on Monday, when the reports came out to be positive.

Besides the man, his wife and domestic help have also tested positive for Covid-19 while two of his family members tested negative. Test report of one of his family members is still awaited.

“As per protocol, positive patients are being shifted to an institutional quarantine facility at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32. Also, samples of the positive patients will be sent for whole genome sequencing to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, to find out if the variant or variant of concern (VoC) is present,” said UT health secretary Yashpal Garg.

“The UT health department is tracing the contacts of the family. Since it is not clear if this is a new variant case, there is nothing to be worried about. People must follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated at the earliest,”said Dr Suman Singh, director, health services Chandigarh.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday warned that the risk related to Omicron – the new variant of Covid-19 – is “very high”. The global health body said that the B.1.1.529 strain, first found in South Africa, is “highly divergent” and is likely to spread internationally at a very high speed and could possibly have severe consequences.

11 new infections in tricity, active cases rise to 138

On Monday, 11 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in the tricity. As many as eight cases were reported from Chandigarh, two from Panchkula and one from Mohali. But no Covid death was reported from any of the three jurisdictions. Tricity’s active cases tally now stands at 138, with 58 patients still being infected in Chandigarh, 49 in Mohali, and 31 in Panchkula.

UT requests religious leaders to support Covid vaccination drive

In view of the increasing Covid count, the UT health department on Monday requested religious leaders support the vaccination drive. Health officials met Maulana Mohd Ajmal Khan, Imam, Mosque at Sector-20, Chandigarh; and Father Kajus, Father James and Father Tharthus, Church at Sector-19, and planned to set up vaccination camps at the mosque and church. All religious leaders appreciated the efforts and agreed to encourage the people for early vaccination.

75% Ambala villages now fully vaccinated

Meanwhile, Ambala’s nodal officer for Covid vaccination, Dr Sunidhi Karol said as many as 389 villages out of 524 in Ambala are now fully vaccinated, while residents of 97% villages (506) have received one dose. Citing fresh figures as per the Cowin portal, she said 80% of the beneficiaries (6,80,037) are now fully vaccinated and over 104% have received a single dose. The total eligible population of the district is 8,50,360.