A 67-year-old man who came to Vadodara city in Gujarat last month has been found infected with the sub-variant XE of the Omicron variant of the corona virus (Covid-19). XE is believed to be more contagious than other variants of Covid-19. This is the first case of this variant in the state. Officials gave this information on Saturday.
Officials said the patient was found infected with Covid-19 on March 12 during his visit to Vadodara, but returned to Mumbai the next day without informing the local authorities.
He told that according to the report given by a lab in Gandhinagar, he was later found infected with the XE variant. This report was also confirmed by a lab in Kolkata on Friday. This person is currently in Mumbai and his health is fine.
The state health department said that the patient underwent a Covid-19 test in a private lab after he complained of fever after coming to Vadodara on a flight. Three people who came in contact with him have not been found infected.
The patient left from Gujarat after being found infected
According to PTI, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Manoj Agarwal told reporters, “The patient’s sample was sent to a lab in Kolkata for re-examination, which confirmed the XE variant on Friday.”
The department said in a statement that the patient had left Gujarat after being found infected. The Health Department contacted him over the phone and found that his condition is now completely stable. He also has many other diseases.
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“The patient has no other symptoms as of now. We have shared information about him with the Maharashtra government officials so that they can take necessary steps. We are continuously monitoring the developments,” Agarwal said.
Devesh Patel, Health Medical Officer of Vadodara Municipal Corporation said that the patient had given the address of a local (Gujarat) relative to the private lab. After being found infected with Covid-19, he had returned to Mumbai without informing the local authorities. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the new mutated variant XE of Omicron is more infectious than the earlier variants.