Nellore admin keeps tight vigil at Chennai airport on foreign returnees

Nellore: Following a report of first case of Omicron in Vizianagaram district, the administration alerted the medical and health department and tightened vigil at the Chennai International Airport for screening and to follow up health status of foreign returnees.

A team consisting of three doctors and six health assistants were deputed at the airport for round-the-clock monitoring of foreign returnees and alerting the district administration in case of any Covid positive case reports.

The details of air passengers are being uploaded on the website of state government where state authorities pass on the data to district administration for necessary action. The team members were provided with test kits for conducting medical tests for passengers from risk countries.

In fact, earlier, lack of keen monitoring was a setback for increasing cases in the district. On their way to the district, majority returnees were meeting many people, travelling by a cab or train, coming to home and visiting houses of relatives. Even though airport authorities were alerting the administration, there was no proper supervision on the movements of foreign returnees and the situation finally resulted in huge number of cases in the first wave.

The system has been bit improved during the second wave and there were deaths rather than number of infections. Staff members of Sachivalayam have also played active role in monitoring health status of foreign returnees and now the system has been further tightened.

Officials deputed for monitoring at the airport in Chennai are immediately communicating the situation to the state government through updates for instant action on the suspicious cases of Omicron. Till now, there has been no instance of recent category of infection and the officials are vigilant since the district is having borders with both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. So far, five Covid positive cases have been reported from the USA returnees. Interestingly, majority cases were being reported negative when conducted tests at the time of boarding the flight and are being tested positive after landing in the country. The samples have been sent to CCMB, Hyderabad for analysis about possibilities of new variant.

Health officials have placed around 20 foreign returnees under home quarantine for observing symptoms of new variant. They are being closely watched by the field staff members of Sachivalayam. But experts in medical profession suggest any negligence on the part of field staff leads to big disaster this time.