The Karnataka government has launched an investigation into the test report of a 66-year-old South African man who was one of India’s first Omicron cases. All of his primary and secondary contacts have tested negative, but it’s unclear how he was able to fly out of the country while the results of his sample’s genome sequencing were being awaited. 

The state is also looking for ten more people who are said to have gone missing from the airport.

“By tonight Friday night all 10 people who have reportedly gone missing should be traced and they should be tested. Travelers will not be allowed to leave the airport until their report is out,” Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashok said after a top level meeting on Omicron, as per NDTV report.

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The South African man flew to Dubai a week after testing positive, displaying a negative RT-PCR report obtained at a private COVID testing centre. 

On November 20, the person arrived in Bengaluru and left on November 27. When he arrived, he tested positive, and a government doctor paid him a visit at the hotel where he was staying. He was told to self-isolate because he had no symptoms. Since he came from a ‘at-risk’ country, his samples were taken once more for genome sequencing. 

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner has been instructed to file a case at the city’s High Ground Police Station, as per Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. “Two reports- one positive and one negative- is doubtful. So the lab must be investigated. So we have asked the police commissioner to investigate immediately in coordination with the health department,” the chief minister said.

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Based on the negative results of the South African national’s primary and secondary contacts, Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar previously stated that his certificate could be true. “The 66-year-old, who has left for South Africa, via Dubai, had presented a negative certificate for the virus, from a private lab. His primary and secondary contacts were found negative. So it means to say that his certificate may be true,” he said, as quoted by ANI.

Around 57 international passengers, arrived from African countries between November 12 and 22, are believed to have gone missing after arriving at Bengaluru airport. When officials tried to contact them to send samples for genomic sequencing to see if they had the Omicron variant, they discovered they were incommunicado.

Revenue minister R Ashok said, “They will be tracked and tested. The authorities have been given directions in this regard.”