Covid-19: Two more Omicron variant cases reported in Chandigarh

Two more people, including an 80-year-old man, were found to be infected with Omicron, taking the total cases of the latest variant of coronavirus reported in the city so far to three.

Of the three cases, two have been discharged and there is now only one active Omicron case in the city, according to an official statement.

It stated that samples of five family contacts of the previous Omicron positive case were sent for genome sequencing to the National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi.

Two of these were found to be positive for the Omicron variant, it said.

Of these two, the 80-year old male suffers from hypertension. However, he is asymptomatic and has been isolated in a hospital, the statement said.

It said the octogenarian was tested on December 24 and was found positive for the omicron variant. He will be re-tested on January 1, the statement said.

The other Omicron positive case was a 45-year-old man. He tested negative for coronavirus on December 24 and was discharged, it said.

Notably, a 20-year-old man who had come from Italy to meet his relatives had tested positive for Omicron on December 12. He was the first patient of the new COVID-19 variant in Chandigarh.

Following this, five of his relatives were tested. Two of them were found omicron positive while reports of genome sequencing of the remaining three persons were pending.