Two more test positive for Omicron in Kerala, couple from UAE confirmed with variant as cases in state rise to seven

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister Veena George said that Omicron has been confirmed in two more persons in the state. A husband (68) and his wife (67) who arrived in Ernakulam from the UAE has tested positive for the highly contagious variant of the Covid-19.

They arrived on a flight from Sharjah on December 8. The UAE was not included in the high-risk country as per the central government guidelines. Therefore, they were allowed to self-monitor. After both started showing symptoms, they did an RT-PCR test on December 11 and 12. They tested positive for Covid-19 after which their samples were sent to the Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology for genetic testing. In this test, they were found to have the Omicron variant of the virus.

There are 6 in the husband's primary contact list and 1 in the wife's primary contact list. There were 54 passengers on board. Those who have been in close contact with them will be subjected to tests. With this, Omicon has been confirmed in 3 people who came from non-high risk countries. So far, a total of 7 cases of Omicron variant has been confirmed in the state. Those coming from non-high risk countries should strictly adhere to the self-monitoring rules in case Omicron is confirmed. The minister said they should not visit public places or attend crowded functions for 14 days for any reason.