Nine-year-old child tests positive for new variant of coronavirus on return from abroad
A nine-year-old child, who returned from overseas, tested positive for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in Mysuru on December 23. This is the first Omicron case to be recorded in Mysuru.District Health Officer Dr. K.H. Prasad, who confirmed the case, said the patient is asymptomatic. “The child is in isolation and steps have been taken to subject all the contacts of the patient for mandatory tests,” he added.Dr. Prasad told The Hindu that the swab samples of four primary contacts, including the child’s parents, have been sent for genome sequencing, and the reports are awaited.“The family was in isolation on its return from abroad. There is no need to panic over the case. The public are advised to follow the COVID-19 guidelines and recommended precautions. The two doses of vaccine are vital to fight the disease, and the people should get the vaccine doses for their safety at the earliest,” the DHO advised.Mysuru reported 19 COVID-19 cases on December 22, taking the active case tally to 144. Post-Omicron outbreak, testing in Mysuru has been stepped up with the health authorities given the target of carrying out about 5,000 tests daily. About 4,000 tests were carried out on December 22.Tests are also being carried out at places of tourist importance, including Mysuru palace. Inter-State travelers, even those carrying the vaccination certificates, are advised to get the test done for free on the palace premises. Rapid Antigen Test is done with a team from the health department putting up a counter for doing the tests following the detection of the new variant of COVID-19, which is described as a ‘variant of concern’.