A 37-year-old man who arrived from Tanzania tested positive for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus here on Saturday.
It became the first Omicron case reported in Malappuram district, and the eighth in the State.
The man hailing from Mangaluru was under observation at the Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri. Hospital Deputy Superintendent Sheena Lal said his condition was stable, and that he was being monitored.
The man, who visited Tanzania on December 8, reached the Karipur airport from Sharjah on Monday night. He was shifted to the Medical College and isolated as he had visited a high-risk country.
He soon tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. His sample was sent to Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, for genomic screening.
Dr. Sheena said he had no symptoms. A few others who travelled along with him too are under observation.
