Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Even if only two foreign travellers have tested Covid-19 positive so far, the threat of the highly transmissible variant of Covid-19—Omicron-- is still high as the about 549 people who have returned from foreign countries, couldn’t be traced by the health department, so far.
Alarmingly, city officials have given up tracing these passengers saying that they have left for other cities and states and that they have forwarded the information about these 'missing' passengers to officials of their respective districts\states.
“Not all passengers are those who left for other districts or states but many are those who couldn’t be contacted due to wrong address or due to wrong mobile numbers. If any of them were Covid positive, then their genome sequencing must be done as it may create trouble for all if any of them carry Omicron,” a health official said.
As per the health department’s record, they received a list of 1,777 passengers who returned to Indore after travelling from foreign countries in the last month.
“Out of 1777, we have collected the samples of 974 people and reports of over 809 passengers are received and only two of them are found positive - a 14-year-old girl and her 8-year-old brother,” chief medical and health officer Dr BS Saitya said.
Dr BS Saitya said that the team is tracing 254 more passengers and will take their samples in at the earliest while over 500 people are those who have left to other districts.
According to sources, as many as 549 passengers are untraceable in the district including 189 with wrong phone numbers and addresses. They might be a threat as any of them could be Covid positive.
However, CMHO Dr Saitya said that they have informed the officials of the concerned districts where these people have left and now they would be traced by them only. He also expressed helplessness in tracing those having the wrong address and phone number.
Kids from Nigeria stable
Both the kids who returned from Nigeria are stable but under observation of doctors in MRTB Hospital. Report of their mother is negative and the genome sequencing report of their samples is pending.
Must search these passengers at war footings: Dr Dosi
“Over 500 passengers are untraceable and it is a big number as a single patient carrying a new variant can create trouble for all. Studies say that the new variant is highly transmissible so these patients should be traced and tested at war footings.” -Dr Ravi Dosi, Senior pulmonologist, Sri Aurobindo Hospital
New strain would come, continue following norms
“Administration and people should not divert their focus from following Covid protocols and immunisation due to new variants as it is inevitable. No case of Omicron has been found in Indore but we should not lower our guard.’ -Dr VP Pandey, HoD, Medicine Department, MGM Medical College.
