There is just one active case of Omicron variant infection in Meghalaya, after three patients recovered and one returned to Assam, the Director of Health Services informed today.
It was announced yesterday that five people had tested positive for the highly infectious variant of Covid-19. Today, Dr Aman Warr said that three of these had recovered, while the one tourist from Assam who tested positive has returned to his home state.
The one active case is stable without symptoms and is under isolation, Dr Warr said, adding that there is no need for the public to panic. He further explained that the three did not recover overnight but had been infected for some time now and were being tested accordingly. They also did not display symptoms. The Meghalaya Health Department has contacted its counterpart in Assam about the tourist’s return.
To ascertain whether a Covid-positive person has the Omicron variant, genome sequencing is required. Since December 7 sequencing has been carried out on all positive cases, with those on people who have arrived from outside the country being conducted on a priority basis. Sequencing can take anywhere between 24 hours to a few days.
Omicron is not the first Covid variant and it is unlikely to be the last. Dr Warr stated that there are many variants in existence but what remains important are three principles – wearing a mask, physical distancing and hand washing.
Appealing to the public to adhere to the government’s Covid protocols, he said that greater and more onerous restrictions could be imposed if the rules are not followed.
