The first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was recorded in Gujarat on December 4, with a state resident testing positive for the virus in Jamnagar, Saurashtra.
It seems like a déjà vu moment for the COVID-19 situation in Gujarat. The very first COVID case in the state was registered in Rajkot, Saurashtra on March 20, 2020, when a man returning from Mecca tested positive for the virus. He had come in contact with 17 others. By August 2020, the Saurashtra districts of Jamnagar, Rajkot, Morbi, Amreli, Junagadh, and Gir Somnath — all of which had seen a steady rise in COVID cases as well as fatalities — together contributed to about a fourth of the Gujarat’s daily new cases index. Saurashtra region in Gujarat registered the first case of Novel Coronavirus and Omicron variant in the state.
The 72-year-old Saurashtra resident who tested positive for the Omicron variant on Saturday had returned to the state from Zimbabwe. He had already shown symptoms of the infection when he returned to Morkanda, Jamnagar at the end of November. His samples were sent to the virology lab in Pune for genome sequencing, which confirmed that he has been infected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
At least 10 people who came in contact with the man have been quarantined. Their test reports are being awaited.
Recently, Gujarat recorded 45 new cases on Friday, taking the active cases tally to 318. Ahmedabad city was the highest contributor, with 15 cases being recorded here. The second and third highest contributors were Surat and Vadodara, with six and five cases respectively. No casualties were recorded. Amid the concerns over the Omicron variant, which has made its entry in India, the state government has made stricter rules for those arriving from abroad at the airport.
