Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi: As many as 68 persons who have tested positive for COVID-19 after coming from Omicron-risk countries, are now under observation across India. The latest to enter the list from Kerala include two people who returned from Britain and Germany and the mother of one of them. The bio-samples of the trio have been sent for genome sequencing and the results are awaited.

The mother-son duo have been admitted to the Beach Hospital in Kozhikode on Friday and their bio-specimens have been already despatched to the Rajiv Gandhi Biotechnology Institute in Thiruvananthapuram. Their contact list is currently being prepared by the authorities. The son, a healthcare worker, had just returned to his Kozhikode residence on November 21 after visiting Britain and tested positive for COVID-19 on November 26. However, posing a concern is his admission that he travelled to many places within Kerala by train in between.

The third person who tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday is a native of Tamil Nadu. He landed at the Karipur International Airport from Germany. The samples taken from him have been sent for genome testing at the National Institute of Virology in Pune. He is now under treatment at the Government Medical College, Manjeri.

Numbers in other states

The number of people now under observation after returning from Omicron-risk countries in other Indian states/Union Territories are: Maharashtra - 28, Telangana - 13, Delhi - 12, Rajasthan - 9 and Tamil Nadu - 3.

The nine members of a family, who came to Jaipur from South Africa, are also among those who tested positive for COVID-19.

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya told Parliament that as of now there was no need for panic as the government has taken all steps to meet any kind of exigencies.

As of now, only two Omicron cases have been reported in India. Of these a 46-year-old Bangalore-based doctor does not have a history of foreign travel and this has become a worrying factor. The five people, who came into contact with him, have also tested positive. The results of the genome tests conducted on them are still expected.

The Central Government has now asked the Karnataka Government to make an in-depth inquiry into the circumstances in which the doctor became Omicron positive. The Centre also asked other States to keep a watch on whether anyone is gripped with the new variant, which has been deemed as Variant of Concern by the World Health Organisation.

Omicron-risk countries

The countries that have been categorised as Omicron-risk countries are South Africa, Britain, Singapore, China (including Hong Kong), New Zealand, Israel, Brazil, Botswana, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and various countries from the European Union.