Seven persons who returned from “high-risk” countries to Tamil Nadu since December 1 have tested positive for Covid-19, but none of them has been infected with the Omicron variant so far. While six persons are being treated in Chennai and Nagercoil, one person is under home isolation in Kumbakonam after he tested negative and continues to be asymptomatic.
Health Minister Ma Subramanian, who visited all four airports in the state that operate international flights, said 5,249 persons who returned from 11 “high-risk” countries in 28 flights and 609 persons, chosen randomly, from non-high-risk nations have been tested for Covid-19 since December 1.
“Of this, seven persons from high-risk countries have tested positive for Covid-19. The genomic sequencing of their samples has returned negative for the Omicron variant. Six of the seven have Delta variant. Still, we have sent the samples to INSTEM (Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine) in Bengaluru for deeper analysis,” the Health Minister said.
Subramanian appealed to the people to get vaccinated as early as possible as there is “enough evidence” to prove that two doses of vaccine can help prevent death even if infected with Covid-19.
Of the six who are under treatment, four are admitted to King Institute, one of the Covid-19 designated hospitals in Chennai, and two – one in a government hospital and the other at a private institute – in Nagercoil. The minister said hospitals in the state will have special wards to treat patients infected with the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus.
He also said 12 government labs in the state have begun using Thermo Fisher TaqPath Assay as a proxy test for the Omicron variant, pending sequencing confirmation.
The Thermo TaqPath RT-PCR test kits are being used to test samples taken from international travellers and others. Five labs in Chennai, two in Coimbatore, and one each in Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Madurai, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari have begun testing the samples. All samples that return positive will be sent for genomic sequencing.
On the slow-paced vaccination in a few districts, the minister said he will meet local representatives in Vellore, Ranipet, and Tiruppattur on December 13 to stress upon them to convince people to take their jabs. The minister will also travel to Madurai and Mayiladuthurai in the coming days as part of the efforts to speed-up vaccination.
Tamil Nadu has so far administered over 7 crore vaccine doses and is fast-tracking vaccination by holding two special camps across the state every week. The state has also found that the death rate among the vaccinated population is very less, while it is quite high among the unvaccinated.
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