UP reports its first case of Omicron in Mumbai couple with no International travel history

An elderly couple in Ghaziabad, with no history of recent international travel, was confirmed with Omicron on Friday days after their recovery from the COVID-19, authorities told UNI.

The couple has become the first case of Omicron in Uttar Pradesh, they added.

While the couple was confirmed for Omicron, their reports determining the presence of the new variant came only after they tested negative for the COVID-19.

The genome sequencing of their COVID-19 positive samples came on Friday, two weeks after being sent to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi for investigation. It showed that they were infected by the latest 'Variant of Concern', according to the officials

The officials also said that the couple was tested again with a Rapid antigen kit after the genome sentencing reports arrived which confirmed their recovery from COVID-19.

District Surveillance Officer (Ghaziabad) Dr RK Gupta told UNI that the couple, 69-year-old male and 66-year-old female, are natives of Mumbai and had arrived in Ghaziabad on November 29 after attending a wedding in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

"They had arrived Ghaziabad travelling via Jaipur where they had gone from Mumbai to attend a family wedding. The couple visited Ghaziabad at a relative's place from there on November 29. A few days later, they experienced symptoms of COVID-19 and undertook an RT-PCR test. They were found positive on December 3," he said.

"On the same day, we sent their samples for genome sequencing test and put them under home isolation given their mild symptoms according to directions from the state government. However, the report was delayed and arrived after the couple tested negative," Gupta added.

The senior health official also informed that the couple is fully vaccinated and showed dry cough and sore throat as symptoms of their illness.

"Meanwhile, we traced 39 of their contacts. None of them has tested positive for the disease so far," Gupta added.

The trajectory of Omicron is rapidly rising in the country and UP is now the 12th state affected by the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated VoC.

Earlier today, the Union Health Ministry had told in a press briefing that the Omicron has affected 11 states with more than 100 cases. The cases in Ghaziabad were not detected till then.