Tirupati registered its first official Omicron case when a 39-year-old foreign traveller from Kenya reached the city on December 10.
Upon reaching Chennai airport, the visitor travelled to Tirupati via road where she was made to undergo RT-PCR test, which showed positive on December 12. The sample was sent to Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, for genome sequencing, which confirmed her as Omicron positive on December 22.
Six of her family members were made to undergo test immediately, who however tested negative. The passenger, who is now in institutional quarantine under the close observation of the Health Department, is said to be healthy. This is the second Omicron case identified in the State so far, out of the 45 foreign travellers and nine contacts found COVID-19 positive. The Health Department advises the public not to give credence to wild rumours about the virus, but continue to take precautions, wear a mask, wash hands regularly and follow social-distancing.
