Alert In Odisha After Neighbouring State Reports 1st Omicron Case; Vaccination Coverage Low In 3 Dists

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday sounded alert in districts bordering Andhra Pradesh after detection of an Omicron variant case in the neighbouring state.

“Foreign returnees are being tested at the airports. No case of Omicron has been detected in the state so far. It is advised to follow COVID appropriate behaviour and not panic,” Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) Director Rama Raman Mohanty said.

Over 400 samples sent earlier to ILS, Bhubaneswar, for genome sequencing had tested negative for Omicron.

However, what continues to remain a concern for the state is that 41 lakh people are yet to be inoculated with the first dose of the COVID vaccine. “Vaccination coverage in Mayurbhanj, Kandhamal and Cuttack is low. 87% beneficiaries have availed 1st dose, the rest 13% should take it immediately to help achieve December vaccination target,” said Family Welfare Director and Odisha vaccination in charge Dr Bijay Panigrahi.

According to Andhra Pradesh’s directorate of public health, a 34-year-old man from Ireland was allowed to travel to Visakhapatnam as he tested negative for coronavirus after landing in Mumbai. However, the sample collected on November 27 was found infected and the genome sequencing result showed the presence of Omicron variant in his blood.

“He does not have any symptoms and was re-tested on December 11, and the RT-PCR result was found to be negative for COVID-19. There are no other Omicron cases in the state,” a media statement by the state’s health department read.