Five Omicron cases are suspected of being committed by five sailors: Goa official

Panaji, Dec 6 : Five sailors, including two Russians, have been kept in quarantine as suspect Omicron cases, Goa health officials said on Monday.Dr Utkarsh Betodkar, an epidimiologist with the state Directorate of Health Services, said that the five Omicron suspects had tested positive for Covid, after they sailed to Mormugao Port Trust onboard a ship which had embarked from South Africas Cape Town on October 31.

"We have sent their test samples for genomic sequencing to Pune.We will decide the next steps once we receive the report.

We will follow normal Covid protocol if they test negative for Omicron.If they test positive for Omicron, the existing government protocol will be followed," he said.

Betodkar said that the ship, a bauxite-ferrying vessel, had arrived in Goa on November 18, after embarking from South Africa on October 31."Two Russians boarded the ship on November 23 and November 29, one of them became partially symptomatic.He was tested for Covid in Goan waters.

He was positive for Covid, so other crew members were also tested.Out of that four more are positive," he said.

While four of the sailors are currently admitted to the public health centre in Cansaulim, a notified quarantine facility, one sailor is in isolation onboard the vessel."We have taken them as a suspect for Omicron and we have isolated them.

Three of them are currently quarantined at Cansaulim PHC.This is a notified facility.One person is still on the vessel isolated," Betodkar said.

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