Bengaluru doctor who recovered from Omicron variant, tests COVID positive again

The Bengaluru doctor, who was infected with the Omicron variant and one of the first two cases reported in India, has once again tested positive for the coronavirus, while the other, a South African national, who is a Gujarati by origin and flew out of here without informing the authorities, has been booked by the police.

“It is true that the doctor who was infected with the Omicron variant has once again tested positive for Covid-19,” a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike official told PTI. Requesting anonymity, the official said the doctor is under isolation, but he is asymptomatic.

Meanwhile, the management and staff of a five-star hotel here have also been booked for allowing the infected South African national to leave without informing the health officials. They have been booked under various sections of the IPC and the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020, police sources said.

Also read: India records 6,822 new COVID-19 cases, recovery rate stands at 98.36%

The Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that the government is taking measures to set up more genomic sequencing labs in the state. During the second wave of Covid, the state government had said six genome sequencing labs were being set up at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Vijayapura.

“We have taken measures to set up genomic sequencing labs, it requires expert facilities and lab equipment. Instructions have been given to the Health Secretary in this regard. We are taking all the required measures to set up more such labs,” Bommai said.

Two cases of the Omicron infections were detected in the state last week, one is a South African national who has left the country after testing negative, while the other is a local person, a doctor with no travel history.

• Bengaluru doctor
• COVID positive
• Omicron variant
• recovered
• again
• BBMP