4 COVID-19 patients from 'at-risk' countries admitted to Delhi hospital showing no symptoms

New Delhi: Eight people travelling from ‘at-risk’ countries, of which four tested COVID positive, were admitted to Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital on Wednesday, as their samples were sent for genome sequencing.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain told ANI: “RT-PCR of every traveller coming from abroad is mandatory at the airport, in view of Omicron. Four COVID positive travellers have been admitted to LNJP Hospital and four suspected are being examined.

Their samples have been sent for genome sequencing.” As per information shared by Medical Director of LNJP Hospital Dr Suresh Kumar earlier, six persons travelled from ‘at-risk’ countries, of which one of the patients is from Belgium, one from the United Kingdom, and four are from African countries.

“Four tested COVID positive and the other two are suspected to be infected with the virus. They had been kept in isolation and samples have been sent for genome sequencing,” Dr Kumar said.

According to Delhi Health Minister, two more travellers arrived from France.

Trained doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff have been deputed in the isolation ward and staffers posted in the ward have been asked to wear PPF kits and take all precautionary measures in light of the new COVID-19 variant ‘Omicron’.

According to the Union Health Ministry, six COVID-19 positive cases were reported after screening 3,476 passengers from 11 international flights from ‘at-risk’ countries.

A new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25. As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year.

On November 26, the WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as ‘Omicron’. The WHO has classified Omicron as a ‘variant of concern’.

Dozens of countries have imposed travel restrictions on the southern African nations since the mutation was discovered.

The new Omicron coronavirus variant has been confirmed in 23 countries and their number is expected to rise, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said.

India has also added several countries to the list from where travellers would need to follow additional measures on arrival in the country, including post-arrival testing for infection.

No cases of the new COVID-19 variant ‘Omicron’ have been reported in the country so far.