UK-returned woman in Hyderabad tests Covid positive

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, December 2

Health authorities in Hyderabad have stepped up screening of all incoming passengers on international flights after confirming that two Omicron positive cases were detected at the Bengaluru airport.

As a result of the stepped-up vigil, a 35-year-old passenger from the UK with no symptoms has been detected to be Covid-19 positive. Her samples have been sent for genome sequencing to determine the Covid variant.

An official at the airport said the woman passenger had arrived from the United Kingdom, which is among the list of countries under the “High-Risk Nation” category. However, she had no symptoms; the RT-PCR tests conducted at the airport confirmed the viral infection.

She has been admitted to the Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS) till results of genetic sequencing are received. The Telugu woman has returned after a visit to the United Kingdom and belongs to the Rangareddy district. Other accompanying the lady have tested negative for Covid-19 but are being kept under watch.

The Telangana Government officials said there was no immediate proposal to make testing compulsory for all passengers, including fully vaccinated ones, arriving from countries namely South Africa, Botswana, China, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Bangladesh, Brazil, Singapore, Israel, and EU as had been done by some states like Tamil Nadu.