Gujarat: Jamnagar man found infected with Omicron variant; CM chairs high level meeting

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Gujarat reported its first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant on Saturday. The new variant was detected in a 72-year-old man in Jamnagar city following his return from Zimbabwe, the state health department said.

The sample of the elderly man was sent for genome sequencing after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, it said. "A person is found omicron positive in Jamnagar. We've isolated him & are monitoring him. A micro containment zone has been made where he is living. In the area, we will do the tracing, testing of people," said Manoj Aggarwal, ACS, Health & Family Welfare Dept, Gujarat.

Following the detection, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed the readiness of the state health system in a high-level meeting.

Gujarat's Commissioner of Health Jai Prakash Shivhare confirmed that the man was found infected with the Omicron strain.

Earlier, two persons had tested positive for this variant in Karnataka.

The Omicron strain has been marked as a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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