Omicron: India reports its third case – Zimbabwe returnee tests positive in Gujarat’s Jamnagar

A 72-year-old man on Saturday was found to be infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Gujarat’s Jamnagar after he returned from Zimbabwe, said the state health department, according to PTI. His samples were sent for genome sequencing after he tested positive for the virus on Thursday.

Zimbabwe has been designated as an “at risk” country in several Indian states because of its proximity to South Africa where the Omicron variant was first discovered.

This is the third case of Omicron in India. On Thursday, two people in Karnataka were found to be infected with the new strain. One of them was a South African, who has flown out of India, and the other patient did not have any travel history.

The World Health Organization classified Omicron, also known as the B.1.1.529 strain, as a variant of concern on November 27. A variant of concern has the highest threat perception among other coronavirus variants because of its increased transmissibility, infectivity, or resistance to vaccines.

On Saturday, the 72-year-old Zimbabwe returnee was isolated and the area where he stays was converted into a micro containment zone, ANI reported.

“In the area [where the patient stays], we will do the tracing, testing of people,” said Manoj Aggarwal, the additional chief secretary of Gujarat’s Health and Family…

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