Karnataka reports 6 more Omicron cases; 2 new Covid clusters in Dakshina Kannada

The new cases of Omicron have been detected after five cases were reported in the state on Thursday

Karnataka on Saturday reported six new cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 taking the state's total number of Omicron cases to 14. Minister for Health and Family Welfare said that five of the six cases have been reported from two clusters at different educational institutes of Dakshina Kannada, while a traveller returning from the UK has also tested positive for Omicron in Bengaluru. Just two days ago, on Thursday, Karnataka had reported five cases of Omicron variant.

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Dr Rajendra KV, Deputy Commissioner, Dakshina Kannada told DH that four of the infected have recovered fully and are currently healthy. DK Health officials who had interacted with the students on Saturday revealed that all of them are healthy indeed. "One of the omicron positive cases is on the ninth day of her infection," an official explained. While the four of the students were part of a government residential school in Mangaluru Rural, another was a 19-year-old student at a Nursing college in Mangaluru City limits.

In fact, the nursing college is a cluster with 19 people testing positive for Covid-19. Dr Ashok H, Covid Nodal Officer, Dakshina Kannada said, "She is from Kerala but has never been to Kerala since July. She is asymptomatic. We have tested everyone from students, teaching and non-teaching staff but are unable to ascertain the source of infection as she neither has any travel history nor contact with any international traveller. The same is true for the four other girls as well from another school."

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Dr Rajendra informed that as many as 19 students had tested positive at the school on December 9 and samples were sent for genomic sequencing on December 10. "The nursing student was fully vaccinated and vitals are stable. She has reported 42 primary contacts and 293 secondary contacts who have all have been tested. 18 students were positive and the rest of them tested negative. Nineteen samples have been sent for genome sequencing," he elaborated.

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"The Omicron infected students from the residential school reported symptoms such as fever, loss of taste and smell. They were isolated at the hostel and have recovered completely. They are also attending classes now. Subsequently, testing of 79 primary contacts and 203 secondary contacts yielded 13 covid positive cases among students and the rest are all negative. All these samples have been sent for genome sequencing," Dr Rajendra clarified.

The District health officials suspect these cases to be due to community transmission as there is no travel history.

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