Chandigarh, Dec 12 (IANS) A vaccinated 20-year-old man, who recently returned from Italy, has been tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19, becoming Chandigarh's first confirmed case, the health department said on Sunday, adding that he came to visit relatives in the city.
His report for the whole genomic sequencing was received late Saturday night and was found positive for Omicron variant, Health Services Director Suman Singh told the media.
He has been in institutional quarantine for 11 days.
He arrived in India from Italy on November 22. Despite having no symptoms, he underwent a retest after the home quarantine period and was confirmed to have the presence of Omicron variant.
According to officials, the traveller had taken the Pfizer vaccine in Italy.
A huge cache of foreign-made pistols has been seized and a smuggler, allegedly linked with Pakistan-based terror outfits and pro-Khalistani elements based in the US, Canada and the UK and operating on directions of a US-based handler, arrested, Punjab's Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said on Friday.
The government's current approach to vaccination -- focusing on younger age groups -- "is causing huge numbers of avertable deaths and is deeply inequitable, both between age groups and within them", argue doctors and researchers in a commentary published in British medical journal fro BMJ on Wednesday.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday termed the ‘meagre MSP hike for paddy as not only grossly inadequate, but also an insult to the farmers who have been fighting for their rightful dues through their anti-farm law agitation for the past six months.
India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi says people from China, including the Chinese nationals, have been able to travel to India despite the absence of direct air connectivity.
Personnel of Kolkata Police's Special Task Force ( STF) on Wednesday gunned down two Punjab gangsters believed to be involved in gun running and responsible for killing two policemen. The deceased duo has been identified as Jaspreet Jassi and Jaipal Bhullar.
In the early hours, Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad were clobbered with heavy rain, inundating several low-lying areas, barely a fortnight after the city survived the Cyclone Tauktae devastation.
