Omicron fears: Doha returnee tests Covid positive in Kolkata, genome sequencing underway

In the latest development to the Omicron situation in India, a woman returning from Doha via Qatar Airways tested COVID positive in Kolkata airport late on Thursday night. She has been sent for treatment and will undergo genome sequencing to determine the existence of the Omicron variant in her system.

Kolkata:The entire world is under panic over the new Omicron variant ofCOVID-19.The Union governmenthas recently decided to extend the suspension of international flights to India to prevent the spread of this new variant in the country.

In the midst of this development, the COVID-19 positive report of a young woman returning to Kolkata from Doha has created Omicron panic in the city.

Late on Thursday night, a flight of Qatar Airways landed at Kolkata International Airport. All the passengers of the said flight had to undergo an RT-PCR test at the airport as per the instructions of the Union health ministry. The report of the woman came positive.

She was immediately isolated from the other passengers and sent to Beleghata ID hospital for treatment. She was later transferred to a private hospital for institutional quarantine.

Sources said that the infected lady will have to undergo genome sequencing to determine whether she has been infected with the new strain or not.

The other passengers were allowed to leave the airport but were advised to keep themselves under isolation for a reasonable period of time.

With the Omicron panic having gripped the city, physicians feel awareness needs to be created about the new strain, albeit without triggering panic.

In several states in India, the new variant has been traced in various people, many of whom have already recovered.

The state health department sources said that her condition is stable.