India reports 3rd case of Omicron

NEW DELHI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — India on Saturday reported its third case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, local media reports said.

The case was detected in the Jamnagar district of the western state of Gujarat. “A man who returned from Zimbabwe has been found infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Gujarat’s Jamnagar,” a local media report quoting Gujarat’s health department said.

“This is the third Omicron case in India.” Reports said the sample of the 72-year-old Jamnagar resident was sent for genome sequencing after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

On Thursday the federal health ministry said two COVID-19 cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Karnataka. One is said to be a 46-year-old fully vaccinated doctor from Bengaluru, who had no travel history, and the other is a 66-year-old South African national who came to India with a negative COVID-19 report.

Officials said five persons who had come in contact with the two have also been kept under observation and their samples were sent for genome sequencing. India has already stepped up testing and surveillance of all incoming international passengers, especially from at-risk nations.