Genomic sequencing of 11 samples of Covid-19 patients have returned positive for the Omicron variant, taking the number of those infected with the variant in Tamil Nadu to 45. Of the 11 fresh cases, seven returned from foreign countries and four are their contacts.
The number of persons infected with the Omicron variant is expected to rise in the next few days as s-gene dropout has been noticed in at least 50 other samples of Covid-19 patients. With the number of persons infected with Omicron on the rise, the state government has made seven-day home quarantine mandatory for all international travellers and increased the random testing from 2 per cent to 10 per cent for those coming from “non-risk countries.”
The state has said that the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 among close contacts and in closed unventilated rooms is “significantly and extremely high”, quoting preliminary data from contact tracing of those infected with the Omicron variant.
Officials said the spread was “quite high” in closed spaces as contact tracing of another Omicron-infected person showed that he had transmitted the virus to people with whom he interacted for just a few minutes. The state has so far reported 45 Omicron cases.
On the vaccination front, 85.8% of the eligible population partially and 58.1% are fully vaccinated in the state. The government has also asked district collectors “not to let down their guard” as increased transmissibility of the variant might lead to an increase in caseload though validation of clinical progress would take some more time.
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