Mangaluru: DC orders for tracing source of Omicron transmission in students without travel history

Mangaluru: On the backdrop of 5 students in the district were confirmed to be infected by the Omicron variant of Covid, Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner (DC), Dr. Rajendra K V, has ordered to trace the origin of the infection in those who do not have any travel history outside the state.

All the infected persons have been quarantined, he said and added that the samples of all persons in the college campus have been sent for testing.

It was surprising to know that all five students who contracted the Omicron variant did not have a travel history beyond state borders in recent times. This has the district officials worried about the local spread of Omicron among the larger population.

To rule out this scenario, the district administration has also instructed the health officials to collect travel details of all students, the DC informed.

The DC also said that the higher covid positivity rate in neighboring Kasargod in Kerala has been a cause of concern. Dakshina Kannada has a close association with Kasargod and Kannur. Peoples from these areas depend on Mangaluru for health services and education facilities. In these circumstances, Kerala reporting a positivity rate of 8 to 9 percent is worrying.

The district administration has already made RT-PCR report mandatory for all, including fully vaccinated individuals, when entering Karnataka from Kerala. A close watch is being kept at over 70 checkpoints along the 40km-long borders, he said.