Team Herald
PANJIM: Five crew members from a foreign shipping vessel that had arrived in Goan waters have tested positive for COVID-19 infection and in view of the Omicron threat, their samples have been sent for genome sequencing at the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) Laboratory, Pune.
State Epidemiologist Dr Utkarsh Betodkar said, “We have taken them as suspects for Omicron and isolated them. Reports of the Pune lab are expected by Wednesday or Thursday.”
Three of those who have tested positive are from Russia while the other two are from Georgia.
The mineral carrying vessel, which left from Cape Town on October 31 had arrived in Goa on November 18. Two Russians entered the ship on November 23 and one of them became symptomatic on November 29. Following this all 21 crew members on board the ship were also tested for Coronavirus and four of them tested positive for COVID-19.
Since their last contact with Russia was on November 21, all of them have been taken as suspects for Omicron and they have been isolated. Three of the crew members have been isolated at the Primary Health Centre, Cansaulim, which is the designated isolation facility for the State, while others are still onboard the ship for completion of formalities.
Also samples of all the five patients have been sent to the laboratory at Pune for genome sequencing to check if any of them have been infected with Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Further course of action will be decided once the sample reports are received, Betodkar said. If they are found negative for COVID-19 then they will be treated as per normal COVID protocol and if tested positive then they will be treated in the Health Centre, Cansaulim, as per the policy of the government of India.
