Seven new Omicron cases in Gujarat, CM Bhupendra Patel holds review meet

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel Thursday held a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in the state in light of rise in number of people infected with Omicron variant of the coronavirus, according to a press note by the state government. Meanwhile, the state’s tally of Omicron cases reached 30 Thursday with seven close contacts of a Zambia-returnee couple in Vadodara city who were detected with the Omicron variant on December 17, including three minors, have also been detected with the same variant.

Gujarat on Thursday reported 111 new Covid-19 cases, crossing the 100-mark after nearly six months. The state had last reported as many cases in late-June. Two deaths due to the infection were also reported — in Anand and Jamnagar city — and the state is steadily adding patients on ventilators — from four patient on ventilators on December 19 to 12 such patients as of December 23.

The state-level meeting was attended by Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel and Minister of State for Health Nimisha Suthar, chief secretary to the chief minister K Kailashnathan, chief secretary Pankaj Kumar, additional chief secretary of home department Raj Kumar, additional chief secretary of health department Manoj Aggarwal, health commissioner Jai Prakash Shivhare, and other state officials.

According to the state’s press note, arrangements for testing and contact tracing of tourists arriving in Gujarat from foreign countries were reviewed.

According to additional chief secretary of health department Manoj Aggarwal, since the new guidelines of testing on arrival came into effect from December 1, the state has conducted RT PCR tests on 3,500 international passengers from “at-risk” countries, on arrival.

Addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar, Aggarwal said that the state will further ramp up testing on a “need basis” from its current daily average of 70,000-75,000-odd tests. Gujarat on Wednesday tested 73,722 samples.

Aggarwal also added that those arriving from “at-risk” countries and regions and test negative for Covid-19 on arrival, are again tested on the third and fifth day. The guidelines issued by Health Ministry recommend testing on the eighth day following seven days of home quarantine of those testing negative for Covid-19 on arrival from ‘at-risk’ countries.

According to Aggarwal, most Omicron patients detected in the state have shown mild symptoms of fever, CM Patel had convened a high-level committee meeting with state officials, last on December 4 after the first Omicron variant case in a 72-year old Zimbabwe-based NRI in Jamnagar was confirmed.

Thursday’s state-level meeting comes on the backdrop of the state government reporting 91 Covid-19 cases Wednesday and after detection of nine patients with the Omicron variant on Wednesday and another seven in Vadodara city on Thursday.

Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) on Thursday added that whole genome sequencing reports of two other probable cases are awaited.

Among the seven close contacts of the senior citizen couple, who have now been detected with the variant, are three minors aged 11 years, nine years and five years. The 11-year old is a student of Cygnus School, who tested Covid- positive earlier this week, thereby prompting the school to suspend physical classes for the batch.

The four others detected with the variant are two women aged 61 years and 26 years, and a two men aged 39 years and 29 years. According to VMC, all four adults are vaccinated.

Vadodara has now reported 10 Omicron cases and Ahmedabad city has reported seven Omicron cases. On Thursday, Gandhinagar discharged its sole Omicron variant detected patient, a 15-year old UK national.

Of the total 30 Omicron variant cases detected in the state till date, five of the patients now stand discharged, pegging the number of active cases of the Omicron variant at 25.

The state currently has 670 active cases of Covid-19, steadily adding more cases than discharged, with maximum of these active cases in Ahmedabad (198) followed by Vadodara (108).