Imphal, Dec 27: As the scare for the 3rd Covid-19 wave grows with the spread of the Omicron variant across the globe and more so in India, Northeast India on Monday recorded its first case of Omicron variant in Manipur. The case has been detected in Imphal West wherein a 48-year-old, who had recently returned from Tanzania, was tested positive for the variant.

Manipur Health and Family Welfare Department’s Additional Director, Khoirom Sasbeekumar Mangang, informed that the sample of the patient came out positive for the Omicron variant on Monday, which was collected on December 21 and sent for genome sequencing at Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) at Takyelpat, near Imphal.

“According to the report of the IBSD, the sample was tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19 on Monday. Three from the youth’s family have also tested positive for the Covid-19. Their samples are not yet confirmed for the Omicron variant,” Mangang informed.

The Omicron variant positive patient is undergoing treatment at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences at Porompat in Imphal and his condition is stable.

Mentionably, a 23-year-old woman, who had returned to Manipur from the UK in March 2020, became the first coronavirus case in the entire north eastern region. She was also the first Covid-19 patient to recover in the northeast region, comprising eight states.