Three Omicron patients discharged; tally at 31 in Tamil Nadu

🔴 The Minister for Medical and Family Welfare after visiting the patients at the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research said the three patients had completely recovered and were discharged from the hospital.

• By: PTI
• Chennai | Updated: December 24, 2021 10:21 AM IST
3 min read

Tamil Nadu health Minister Ma Subramanian meets the state's first Omicron patient, who has now been discharged from King Institute, in Chennai on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)

Three persons, including the first Omicron case reported in Tamil Nadu, a 47-year-old man who returned from Nigeria, and two of his family members, have tested negative and were discharged on Thursday, Tamil Nadu Minister Ma Subramanian said.

The Minister for Medical and Family Welfare after visiting the patients at the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research said the three patients had completely recovered and were discharged from the hospital.

On December 15, the State reported its Omicron case when the 47-year-old patient was detected with the new variant on his arrival here from Nigeria via Doha.

“The individual, his sister and sister’s daughter have recovered and discharged…They have been advised to stay under home isolation for seven days,” Subramanian said.

Five more family members of the trio, currently under treatment for Omicron at the hospital, are expected to be discharged on Friday, he said.

“With three persons getting discharged today, the total number of people who are under treatment stands at 31,” he said.

Earlier in the day, an online meeting was conducted by the Union Health Ministry in which the health secretaries of various states participated. The meeting was to discuss the preventive measures to be taken to control the spread of Omicron variant of the virus, he said.

“Tomorrow, a similar meeting will be chaired by Chief Minister (M K Stalin) at the Secretariat,” he said.

To a query whether 33 people were detected with Omicron on a single day, Subramanian clarified that they were not infected on a single day and the announcement to the public was made based on the lab reports sent by the National Institute of Virology at Pune to the state government.

Noting that the Omicron variant has the ability to spread fast, he said maintaining social distancing during festivities holds significance. “The good news is that even if someone is affected by Omicron, he does not require to be under oxygen support. However, Tamil Nadu is geared to handle such situation with adequate medical infrastructure,” he said.

On the vaccination front, the minister said vaccine hesitancy was high in places like Vellore, Ranipet, and Tirupathur. “We created awareness campaign on vaccination through volunteers in these areas…This week we will be holding similar awareness camps in Mayiladuthurai.”

As many as 93 lakh people have not received their second dose of Covid vaccination and they should make use of the mega vaccination camp scheduled to be held on December 26, he added.

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