India's Omicron tally rises to 41 after Maharashtra, Gujarat report new cases
text_fieldsNew Delhi: Three new cases of Omicron were reported in India on Monday- one in Gujarat and two in Maharashtra , taking the total tally of the new coronavirus variant in the country to 41.
A 42-year-old man from Gujarat who recently returned from South Africa tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus yesterday.
The man had first tested negative for coronavirus when he arrived in Delhi from South Africa via Kenya and Abu Dhabi on December 3. In his second test on December 4 also, the man tested negative for Covid after which he was briefly hospitalised for isolation. He then tested positive for Covid- with Omicron variant- on December 8, authorities informed.
The man's sample has been sent for genome sequencing.
Currently, the man is under treatment in home isolation and all the relatives as well as his four co-passengers have tested negative for Covid.
Yesterday, Maharashtra also reported two new cases of Omicron variant, with both the patients having Dubai travel history. The two cases have been reported from Latur and Pune, as per a report released by the National Institute of Virology.
With this the total cases of the variant in India has reached 41. Till now, Omicron has been detected in Maharashtra (20), Rajasthan (9), Gujarat (4), Karnataka (3) and Andhra Pradesh (1) and in Union Territories of Delhi (2) and Chandigarh (1) and Kerala (1).
The government has warned against laxity in following Covid-related protocols, urging people to not delay vaccination.
India's Covid tally yesterday rose to 3,46,97,860 with 7,350 people testing positive for the infection in a day, while the number of active cases declined to 91,456, the lowest in 561 days, the Union Health Ministry's data showed.
The Omicron variant, which was first detected in South Africa, has spread to several parts of the globe with one death being reported in UK where the variant is fast spreading. Authorities worldwide are racing to determine how contagious the variant is and how effective existing vaccines are against it.
Live Updates
- 14 Dec 2021 2:02 PM IST
India’s Omicron tally rises to 49 after Delhi, Rajasthan report 8 cases
New Delhi: Four new cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant has been reported each in Delhi and Rajasthan, taking the total tally of the country to 49, the ministers of the western state and the Union territory on Tuesday.
Rajasthan health minister Parsadi Lal Meena said four Omicron cases have been reported in the state taking the tally to 13. “The health condition of these patients is stable. All the previous Omicron cases in the state have tested Covid-19 negative now,” Meena was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Of the four, three had come in contact with an infected family which returned from South Africa.
Health officials confirmed that a woman who came from Ukraine via Dubai has also tested positive.
Delhi also detected four new cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total number of such infections to 6, health minister Satyendar Jain said.
“Of the 6 cases, 1 patient has been discharged from the hospital. Currently, 35 Covid positive patients and 3 suspected cases are admitted to the LNJP Hospital,” Jain was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
All the patients have been detected at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital, which has been dedicated for the treatment of Omicron patients.
Of the six, a 37-year-old from Ranchi, who was the first Omicron patient in Delhi, has been discharged, Jain said, adding that the remaining five are all stable with mild symptoms.
The Delhi Health Minister went on to say Jain a total of 74 foreign returnees have been admitted to the LNJP so far, out of which 36 have been discharged.
"Out of total 38 admitted in the hospital, 35 have tested positive for Covid and five of these Omicron positive and three are suspected."
He said the Omicron infection is under control in Delhi, and there has been no locally transmitted cases in the community so far.
"Our preparation against Omicron is absolutely complete. We all need to follow the Covid appropriate behaviour," Jain added.
Maharashtra (20), Rajasthan (13), Karnataka (3), Gujarat (4), Kerala (1) and Andhra Pradesh (1) and Union Territories of Delhi (6) and Chandigarh (1) have reported Omicron cases so far.