Lucknow: UK returnee who tested Covid positive, kept in home isolation

LUCKNOW: A 36-year-old international traveller, who came from UK and tested positive for Covid-19 at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport on Tuesday, was sent to home isolation from the Lok Bandhu hospital on Wednesday.

“The man, a resident of Gomti Nagar, tested positive in the rapid RTPCR test at the airport. Later, in two other RTPCR test reports, where one was conducted with the same sample he gave at the airport, came negative and therefore he was allowed for home isolation. Third sample was taken at hospital. The man was asymptomatic when he had landed at the airport,” said Ajay Shankar Tripathi, chief medical superintendent of the Lok Bandhu hospital.

The man was taken straight from the airport to the Lok Bandhu hospital, which had been declared as Covid facility for the international travellers who are coming from ‘at risk’ countries and test positive for Covid, he said.

Passengers from ‘at risk’ countries leave airport only after RTPCR report comes while those coming from other countries leave the airport once they submit details about travel and stay, and give RTPCR samples for Covid test. At risk countries are those where cases of new variant of Covid ‘omicron’ have been reported.

“Instructions have been given to the patient, an IT professional who works in UK, to stay in home isolation and follow all Covid protocol and guidelines. He will be in our contact for the next 10-days at least as the genome sequencing report is also awaited,” said Dr Tripathi. Every day the health status of the man will be taken by Covid command centre, he added.

The genome sequencing is being done from the sample that was given at the airport and the sample will be tested in a lab in Lucknow.

Another international traveller, a woman who had come from Canada few days ago and tested positive for Covid, is also in home isolation. The woman had come to attend a marriage ceremony, but when she gave her sample before returning back to Canada, the report stated that she was Covid positive. “She is in home isolation,” said a senior health official.