The Dibrugarh University authorities on Thursday said despite taking all precautions and following the sandard operating procedure (SOP) of the Assam government, a student from East Africa’s Comoros tested positive for Covid-19. Two other roommates of the student also later tested positive.
The sample of the Comoros student was detected to be Omicron variant during testing at the ICMR-RMRC, Dibrugarh, and has been sent for whole genome sequencing to the CSIR-North East Institute of Science
and Technology (NEIST) in Jorhat.
It is suspected that the virus might have spread from the Comoros student who had arrived in India to take admission in the first semester of MCom course in Dibrugarh University. The university
authorities said the student had arrived at Dibrugarh airport on December 17, after which he tested negative for Covid-19 during the mandatory RT-PCR test.
As per the Assam government SOP, international
travellers who test negative on arrival have to compulsorily undergo a seven-day home quarantine.
Dibrugarh University international affairs executive officer Arinjit Hazarika on Thursday said the student from Comoros was isolated and quarantined inside the international hostel, which houses 32 foreign
students. Two of his roommates, who are from Nigeria and Lesotho, voluntarily offered to deliver food to his room during the quarantine period.
“We had kept him isolated in a separate unit of the international hostel as per protocol. The two roommates used to serve him lunch and
dinner in his room. On the eight day of the quarantine period, a mandatory swab test was carried out and the student from Comoros tested positive for Covid-19. Later, the two roommates also tested
positive. Although the roommates took every precaution, it is possible that they may have caught the virus as it is highly contagious. All of
them were asymptomatic,” Hazarika said.
He added that all other students of the international hostel have tested negative for Covid. Currently, the three infected students are recovering at the Covid care centre at Jokai on the outskirts of the town.
On December 6, the Assam government had issued a new SOP, which included mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival for international travellers, amid rising number of Omicron cases in the country. The fresh standard operating procedure made seven-day home quarantine
compulsory for those who test negative for Covid. All international travellers will have to undergo compulsory RT-PCR test on arrival.
Children below five years have been exempted. However, a child below five years and coming from abroad has to undergo a test if Covid
symptoms are detected.
It added that if travellers are found infected, they will have to abide by the state government treatment protocol, and their samples need to be sent to laboratories for genome sequencing to determine the
Covid variant. International travellers who test negative on arrival have to compulsorily undergo a seven-day home quarantine. As per the new SOP, the district authorities will keep track of overseas travellers and ensure that they follow all protocols.
