Dharavi resident who returned from Tanzania tests positive for Omicron

The man landed in Mumbai on December 4 and his samples were sent for genome sequencing when he tested positive for coronavirus

A resident of Dharavi area here who recently returned from Tanzania was found to have contracted Omicron infection on Friday, taking the number of cases of the new coronavirus variant in Maharashtra to 11, officials said.

The 49-year-old man, who is a 'Maulavi' (Muslim cleric), was asymptomatic and was isolated before he could mingle in the community, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official.

The man landed in Mumbai from Tanzania on December 4 and his samples were sent for genome sequencing when he tested positive for coronavirus.

With this, the number of Omicron-infected patients in Mumbai rose to three. One case had been found in neighbouring Thane district.

Seven cases have been found in Pune district, but deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said earlier in the day that five out of them have now tested negative for the infection.

Tanzania does not figure in the list of 'at-risk' countries, but the Dharavi resident tested positive for COVID-19 during the mandatory random checking of two per cent of arrivals at the Mumbai airport.

When his test came out positive, a medical team from G-North ward (where Dharavi falls) tracked him down immediately.

The man was shifted to BMC-run Seven Hills hospital, the official said, adding that he was asymptomatic and is not vaccinated.

Dharavi in central Mumbai is known as the biggest slum in Asia where over six lakh people live in a 2.5 square km area.

The area has recorded 7,073 coronavirus cases since March 2020, but there are only seven active cases at present, as per the BMC.