2 South Africa returnees in India's Bengaluru Covid positive
As India braced to guard against the Omicron variant of Covid-19, two travellers who flew in from South Africa to the Indian IT hub of Bengaluru have tested positive for the virus and their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to ascertain the mutant, officials said.
While genome sequencing is awaited, a Karnataka government official said the lab has said the two were infected with the Delta variant of the virus, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
Officials said the two persons tested positive for Covid during the RT-PCR tests conducted at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.
"The first passenger arrived in Bengaluru on November 11 and the second arrived on November 16 and they were kept in quarantine after the positive test," Karnataka Health Secretary T K Anil Kumar said on Saturday.
Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Rural District K Srinivas said the lab verbally told them that the two tested positive for Delta variant.
The state Health Secretary said Karnataka has revised Covid-19 testing guidelines in view of concerns over the Omicron variant.
"We have also changed the protocols from those coming from South Africa and other at-risk countries. Earlier, they only required an RT-PCR test that is 72 hours old. But we have changed the norms to ensure that all passengers will take the test at the airport on arrival," said Kumar.
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