Northeast reports first Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Manipur

Northeast reported the first case of Omicron variant in Manipur with a man returning from Tanzania testing positive on Monday.

The 48-year-old man, who returned from Tanzania on December 21, tested Covid-19 positive on the same day following which the samples were sent for whole-genome sequencing. The samples were found positive for Omicron variant of Covid on Monday.

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The man is already in an isolation facility in a government hospital in Imphal, K. Rajo Singh, director of Manipur health department said on Monday afternoon.

Health officials said that contact tracing of the person was underway.

Manipur at present has 182 Covid-19 positive cases with a 98.62% recovery rate.

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"As the Omicron variant is spreading fast in various countries, all are to adhere to Covid appropriate behaviour and wear masks mandatorily. Masks have been found effective against all variants of Covid-19," Singh said in a statement.

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