Shivamogga man, carrying SA variant never travelled to Africa

BENGALURU/SHIVAMOGGA: Health department officials have launched random Covid-19 testing in JP Nagar area in Shivamogga city after a man who returned from Dubai tested positive for the South African strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The 53-year-old, employed in a hotel in Saudi Arabia, has never visited South Africa and learnt of the infection only on Wednesday. He had travelled to India in early January to attend a wedding in Shivamogga, his hometown.
Since he could not get a direct ticket to return to Saudi Arabia, he flew via Bengaluru to Dubai on January 17, intending to take a connecting flight to Saudi Arabia.
“By January 18, a lockdown was imposed in Saudi Arabia,” district officials quoted the man as saying. “He had no choice but to stay put at Dubai airport for nearly a month. When restrictions were eased in February, only citizens of Saudi Arabia were allowed to travel. The man decided to return to Shivamogga and landed in Bengaluru on February 21,” Dr Rajesh Suragihalli, district health officer, Shivamogga told TOI.
While the man had a negative certificate on his return, his swab sample was collected at KIA, but he was allowed to leave for Shivamogga. His swab sample was found positive for Covid on February 23, but the man was never told. In between, Nimhans conducted genomic sequencing on his samples.
“There was a communication gap. We also learnt about the man’s positivity only on Wednesday,” said Dr Rajesh. On March 7, his sample showed the highly infectious South African variant.
On Wednesday, when health officials visited the man’s house in Shivamogga, he was shocked to learn he carried the South African variant. He and his family members were admitted to the district hospital. On Thursday, he tested negative.