Two South Africans Who Tested Positive For COVID-19 In Bengaluru Infected With Delta Variant

The southern states of the country have already started to step up measures to check the spread of the Omicron variant.

A medical professional with COVID-19 samples (Image for representation)

Chennai: The two South African nationals who tested positive for novel Coronavirus on November 11 in Bengaluru are found to be infected with the delta variant of the virus. 

A Bengaluru Rural district official told PTI that around 94 people have come to Bengaluru from South Africa from November 1 and 26 of which two people tested positive for Covid-19.

Both of them were quarantined and officials were continuously monitoring them. However, due to the fear over spread of Covid variant Omicron, the samples of both the persons were sent for further tests to detect the variant. On Sunday, the test report found the presence of Delta variants.

Meanwhile, the new Omicron variant, B.1.1.529, was first reported in South Africa on November 24 and the World Health Organisation has identified the variant in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong, Israel and the UK. 

Following this, the southern states of the country have already started to step up measures to check the spread of the Omicron variant. 

Measures In South India

The Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments have decided to intensify the screening of international passengers. In Karnataka, the government has made it mandatory for compulsory RT-PCR tests on passengers arriving from Kerala and Maharashtra.

Tamil Nadu has appointed monitering officers at four airports to monitor the screening measures of international passengers, including Africa, Brazil, China and Israel.

The Kerala government has stepped up vigilance and said that those who haven't been vaccinated should take the jabs at the earliest.

The Telangana State Health Department has issued high alert and stepped up vigilance at Rajiv Gandhi Internation Airport in Hyderabad.