Manipur now has the first case of Omicron infection, according to L. Deven, Director of J.N. Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal. He said, “We have been monitoring arrivals of people from foreign countries. On December 21, we learned that one person had arrived at Imphal. He had reportedly visited Dubai, Tanzania and some other countries. On December 21 itself he was picked up and lodged in the isolation ward of this medical college”.
Manipur Health Director K. Rajo also confirmed the case but said the patient had so far not shown any symptoms. He said that the samples of the person were collected and sent for genome sequencing at Lamphel in Imphal. “We had been informed on Monday that the person was infected by Omicron. However, there is no need to worry since Manipur is fully prepared for combating this COVID-19 variant,” he said.
The Director said that earlier three persons were admitted in the isolation ward as they were suspected to be infected. They had a travel history to foreign countries. Later, they tested COVID-19 positive but were not infected by Omicron.
