Madhya Pradesh: US returnee tests positive for COVID-19 in Jabalpur

Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): A woman who recently returned from the United States tested positive for COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Thursday, a health official informed.

The woman and her family have been urged to isolate themselves at home. The passenger was reported suffering from cough and cold who got herself tested for the coronavirus. Following the report coming positive, her swab sample would be sent for genome sequencing to identify whether the infection concerns the new variant BF.7 of the corona.

"The woman arrived in New Delhi from America on December 23. After that, she reached the Bilhari locality of Jabalpur via Agra. She came here to meet her parents. The woman was suffering from cough and cold as a result she got herself tested and she tested positive for COVID-19," CMHO (Chief Medical and Health officer) Dr Sanjay Mishra said.

"The testing of her husband and her daughter is yet to be done whose samples will be collected tomorrow. The woman's sample will be collected again tomorrow and sent to DRDO Gwalior for genome sequencing. Besides this, samples of the two other members of her family will also be collected and tested as contact tracing is necessary," CMHO Mishra added.

The BF.7 variant is reportedly not easily detected in RTPCR testing. Due to the knock of the BF.7 variant of COVID-19, the government has begun supplying rapid antigen kits and other necessary equipment to all divisions of the state.