Vizianagaram Collector A. Surya Kumari on Monday said that the district administration was closely tracking foreign arrivals in the backdrop of an Omicron case being identified in the district.
Speaking to The Hindu, she said that nearly 200 persons arrived from foreign countries in the district in the last couple of weeks, and COVID-19 tests were conducted on all of them. “With the support of the Air Suvidha portal, we are immediately getting travel details of the foreign returnees. Local officials have been directed to ensure that those arriving from abroad quarantine themselves at home until their COVID-19 test reports are collected. Most of them have arrived from the U.S. or the Middle-East which are relatively free from the Omicron threat,” she said.
“The person who came from Ireland had initially tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and has now tested negative. The foreign returnee who stayed for a brief period in his native village of Boddam in Kothavalasa constituency left for Visakhapatnam immediately. Those who were in close contact with him tested negative for COVID-19,” the Collector added.
The district administration is giving top priority to COVID-19 vaccination in the backdrop of the Omicron threat, she said. The government has administered the first dose of vaccine to 18,47,239 persons and the second dose to 12,57,254 people. As many are ignoring the importance of the second dose, she directed Vizianagaram District Medical and Health Officer S.V. Ramana Kumari to create awareness among people on the significance of full vaccination. Dr. Ramana Kumari informed the Collector that nearly 77% people were administered both their doses in the district.
