New Delhi : India’s Omicron tally have spiked up with fresh cases of the new variant in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Delhi. The cases reported in Maharashtra are seven so far, whereas in Rajasthan 9 cases have been reported and in Delhi a man was found positive with the variant. The total count of the cases in India are 21 so far.
A woman and her two daughters who travelled from Nigeria, her brother and his two daughters in Pimpri Chinchwad – a township near Pune – and one male who travelled from Finland have tested positive for the new variant in Maharashtra.
The nine patients in Jaipur are from the same family and have recently returned from South Africa.
A 37-year-old man who arrived in Delhi from Tanzania tested positive for the Omicron variant earlier today.
The first two cases of Omicron in India were reported from Karnataka earlier this week. The other two cases were detected from Gujarat and Maharashtra. With seven new cases, the Omicron cases in Maharashtra have risen to 8.
Omicron, first detected in South Africa on November 25, has been described as a “variant of concern” by the WHO.
International airports across India are intensively screening and testing all passengers from ‘at-risk’ countries. In line with central guidelines, all passengers from such countries have to take RT-PCR tests on arrival. The test result has to be negative in order to leave the airport.
Researchers are still checking if Omicron is more lethal and if current vaccines offer protection.
The list of countries deemed “at-risk” for now includes the United Kingdom, all 44 countries in Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Israel.
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