Bengaluru: The first two cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 were on Thursday confirmed to have been detected in Karnataka. One of these persons, with a South Africa travel history, arrived at the Bengaluru International airport last month and tested COVID positive. But it was ascertained much later that he and the second person had contracted the Omicron strain of coronavirus.
According to officials of municipal body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the first infected person has completed quarantine period and is healthy, while the second one has mild symptoms and doing well.
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Karnataka Health minister Dr K Sudhakar told mediapersons that a 66-year-old man, who was found to be infected with Omicron first, has completed quarantine, tested negative and already flown back to South Africa, via Dubai.
“We did contact tracing and none of the 245 people he came in contact with tested positive,” added Sudhakar.
The second one, a 46-year-old practising medical practitioner with no travel history, is still in a Bengaluru hospital, along with five of his contacts, under Karnataka COVID regulations.
The minister said that Omicron symptoms are “much less virulent” compared to other variants like Delta.
