Eight people arriving in Myanmar from India and two others who had close contact with an Omicron-positive patient have tested positive for the Omicron variant, the Ministry of Health announced on January 15.

Of the eight infected, five are Myanmar citizens while the three others are foreigners, and they had entered the country on relight flights. Moreover, two other Myanmar nationals who got infected are family members of a patient who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 Variant Omicron on January 13.

According to the ministry’s announcement, of the samples of those who tested positive for Covid-19, suspected samples were sent to the National Health Laboratory and No.1 Defence Services Hospital (1,000 beds) for screening. Those samples were tested on January 14 and 15. Then, ten were found to be infected with the Omicron variant.

The patients infected with the Omicron virus are receiving treatment in separate wards of respective hospitals. The passengers who were among them on the same flights are also in strict quarantine with their samples having tested several times, the health ministry reported.