I am asymptomatic, feeling fine: First patient diagnosed with Omicron in Pune

The software engineer said he had tested negative for Covid-19 before he left Finland on November 23. "I arrived in Mumbai early on November 25 and reached Pune the same day.

Written by Anuradha Mascarenhas

Pune | Updated: December 8, 2021 10:00 AM IST

3 min read

While Pune Municipal Corporation's health officials have been in daily contact with him, as per protocol, they had to ensure institutional quarantine for the patient. (Representational)

A 47-year-old software engineer, the first person detected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Pune city, on Tuesday said he was asymptomatic and feeling fine. “I am in my hotel room as part of the institutional quarantine, engaged with office work (online) and doing my daily exercises,” the techie, who tested positive for the infection on his return from Finland, told The Indian Express.

The software engineer said he had tested negative for Covid-19 before he left Finland on November 23. “I arrived in Mumbai early on November 25 and reached Pune the same day. On November 26, I even attended office. However, on November 28, I had a fever. Considering that I had travelled and had a fever, I decided to immediately isolate myself in my room and got tested on November 29. The laboratory had sent my sample for genome sequencing, which confirmed the presence of Omicron variant,” he said.

Also Read | PCMC readies 1,200 beds as part of Omicron preparedness

While Pune Municipal Corporation’s health officials have been in daily contact with him, as per protocol, they had to ensure institutional quarantine for the patient. “I did not have symptoms and didn’t go to a hospital as medical attention was not required. Covid tests have been conducted on my colleagues, family members and even the residents of the society that I stay in, and those reports were negative,” he said.

According to civic health officials, 42 of the man’s contacts were tested, of which 15 were in the high-risk category. All of them tested negative.

The man, who was fully vaccinated by June this year, said he did not require any medication barring a paracetamol for fever. “As per protocol, I got my blood tests and chest scans done, and the reports were normal,” he said.

Six other patients from Pune district — members of the same family who had tested positive for Omicron variant — have been admitted to Jijamata Hospital, Pimpri.

Also Read | Pune: No immediate restriction in city due to Omicron, says mayor

Dr Balasaheb Hodgar, in-charge at the Covid-dedicated hospital, told The Indian Express that the hospital currently has three adults and three children. While one patient has a cough, others are asymptomatic. “Nearly 60 beds are dedicated for Covid and this family has been kept in a separate ward with an internet facility. Meals are served regularly here and we are monitoring blood pressure and other parameters. After the quarantine period is over, another Covid test will be performed and if they test negative, they will be sent home for another seven-day quarantine,” Dr Hodgar said.

State crosses 12 crore vaccination doses

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Maharashtra crossed the milestone of 120 million (12 crore) vaccine doses administered on Monday, said Dr Pradeep Vyas, additional chief secretary (health), Maharashtra.

Maharashtra had achieved the 100-million mark of Covid vaccination doses on November 9 and 110-million doses on November 25.

Till now, Maharashtra has administered 12,02,70,585 vaccine doses, while 4.37 crore individuals have received both doses of the vaccine. This means that 47.81% of eligible population and 7.65 crore individuals have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. ``Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) "Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. ``At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure "For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. ``Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions X (Twitter): @runaanu ... Read More

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