Tracking flyers from non ‘at-risk’ countries huge task

Hyderabad: Tracking and tracing of international passengers arriving from non ‘at-risk’ countries to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Shamshabad has become a challenge for surveillance teams of the State Health Department, as there is a lot of scope for such passengers to ‘slip through the cracks’ and trigger rapid transmission of Omicron variant among the […]

Hyderabad: Tracking and tracing of international passengers arriving from non ‘at-risk’ countries to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Shamshabad has become a challenge for surveillance teams of the State Health Department, as there is a lot of scope for such passengers to ‘slip through the cracks’ and trigger rapid transmission of Omicron variant among the community.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) guidelines to screen and conduct RT-PCR tests for Omicron variant, has advised States to conduct RT-PCR tests for all international passengers arriving at airports from at-risk countries. There are no similar guidelines for travellers arriving from non ‘at-risk’ countries. As a result, Health Department is conducting random RT-PCR tests of only 2 per cent of passengers arriving from non ‘at-risk’ countries.

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In fact, out of the 20 Omicron positive patients in Telangana, a total of 16 are international travellers who have arrived from non ‘at-risk’ countries and four passengers were from at-risk countries.

Senior health officials said that they already had flagged the difficulties related to screening of international travellers from non ‘at-risk’ countries to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW). The last updated list of the at-risk countries, from where international passengers must undergo RT-PCR tests, taken-up by MOHFW was in the end of the November.

“We have highlighted this issue with their counterparts in MOHFW, New Delhi. From our side, we have been consistent and randomly conducting RT-PCR tests on at least 2 per cent of international travellers from non ‘at-risk’ countries, which has yielded positive results. We must also acknowledge that it will be logistically very difficult to conduct RT-PCR tests for all international passengers arriving at RGIA Shamshabad,” Director of Public Health (DPH), Dr G Srinivasa Rao said.

On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu government also flagged this difficulty by writing a letter to senior health officials at MOHFW.

Senior health officials here pointed out no specific protocol or guideline has been issued on handling international passengers from non ‘at-risk’ countries. International passengers from at-risk countries, if tested positive in the RT-PCR at the airport, are immediately shifted to a healthcare facility. However, if passengers from non ‘at-risk’ countries test Covid-19 positive during random RT-PCR checks at RGIA, they are advised home quarantine while their blood samples are collected for full genome sequencing.

Senior health officials here pointed out that MOHFW guidelines do not say anything about transit flights. “Infected international travellers should now be allowed to transit or take onward flights. These guidelines must be issued by MOHFW,” senior health officials said.

Also Read: Omicron not lethal as Delta: Experts

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