Bangladesh returnee tests COVID-19 in Bengal, genome sequencing underway for Omicron

Kolkata: A Bangladesh returnee has tested positive for COVID-19 in West Bengal, following which his sample was sent for genome sequencing to ascertain whether he contracted the new Omicron variant of coronavirus, an official said on Saturday. The patient, a resident of Barasat in North 24 Parganas district, was found positive for the infection on Friday and admitted to state-run Beleghata ID and BG Hospital, he said. The person has been undergoing treatment at a special ward created to isolate coronavirus positive patients returning from abroad or other states to West Bengal, the official said. “The patient was found infected with the disease at the international border after he entered India from Bangladesh. He is under observation at the quarantine ward. His sample was collected and sent for genome sequencing. He is stable now,” the health department official said. A woman, who came from the UK, has also been hospitalised in the state after she tested positive for COVID-19. Her sample has also been sent for genome sequencing to determine whether she was infected with the new variant, which has been classified as a highly transmissible virus of concern. India on Friday reported nine more Omicron variant cases, which took the tally to 33 in the country. Most of those who contracted the new strain either recently arrived from African countries or were in contact with such people.