Bengaluru, Dec. 1: Karnataka health minister, Dr K. Sudhakar on Wednesday said that the state government is contemplating to treat patients separately if they are diagnosed with the Omicron variant of the deadly Covid virus.
Dr Sudhakar told reporters that if the Omicron variant is detected, they will be treated in special isolation wards at hospitals and the state government has already held talks with the hospital and medical colleges in this regard.
“The health department has already convened a meeting with district officials to suggest measures to be taken in the wake of if a new variant is detected,” he added.
The health minister, who himself is a medical professional, noted that as of now, it is not very clear as to how Omicron will impact children. “But what we all know is that it is a very fast-spreading virus. The Union government is also contemplating on the child vaccine. The vaccine is expected to be available in all states at the earliest,” he said.
Even though the Covid Technical Advisory Committee has advised the government to stop facilities and penalize those who haven’t taken two doses of the vaccine despite being eligible to get one, Dr Sudhakar clarified that the state government has no intention to accept this proposal. “The number of people taking the vaccine has proportionately started increasing over the past two days. The house-to-house vaccine mitra (Vaccine Friend) program has also gathered its pace,” he explained.
Dr Sudhakar said that the state government has made the RTPCR mandatory for everyone coming from abroad. “If the RTPCR test report at the airport comes up negative, travellers can go home but they will be subjected to a seven-day quarantine. Their health will be monitored during the quarantine period. For those who are symptomatic, and reports are negative, they will be tested again on the fifth day. They are free to move only if a negative report comes out after quarantine after seven days. If the RTPCR report is positive, they will be hospitalized and treated. Passengers may facesome delay because testing is mandatory, but it is inevitable,” the Minister said after overseeing the arrangements in Bengaluru International Airport on the outskirts of the city.
Apart from testing in Airports and bordering areas of the state, Dr Sudhakar said that tele-medicine, increasing the number of tests, wearing the mask mandatory and other safety guidelines will be strictly enforced. “If public cooperates with the government, we can quickly overcome the Omicron threat,” he said.
