Chandigarh: South African returnee tests Covid-19 positive; samples sent for genome sequencing

Naina Mishra
Tribune News Service 
Chandigarh, November 29 

A 39-year-old man from Sector 36, who returned from South Africa tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday.  

His wife and domestic help have also tested positive for Covid-19, while two other family members are reported to be negative. The report of one family member is still awaited.  

He had returned from South Africa on November 21 and was quarantined at home on his arrival at Chandigarh. He was RT-PCR negative on arrival, however, he was again tested for Covid today as per the protocol.  

UT Health Secretary Yashpal Garg informed that the patient and his family have been shifted to the Covid isolation ward at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32.  

The health department said that as per protocol, the positive cases are being shifted to an institutional quarantine facility. The samples of the positive cases will be sent for Whole Genome Sequencing to NCDC, Delhi to ascertain the variant/variant of concern (VoC), if any. 

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), Omicron variant — B.1.1.529 — has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs. The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa.  

Preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of reinfection with Omicron (i.e., people who have previously had Covid-19 could become re-infected more easily with Omicron), as compared to other variants of concern, but information is limited.  

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