Telangana, West Bengal report first Omicron cases

Mumbai/ Hyderabad: Telangana and West Bengal reported their first cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Wednesday, while four more persons tested positive in Maharashtra.

So far, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases at 32, followed by Rajasthan at 17. Omicron cases have also been reported in Karnataka (3), Gujarat (4), Kerala (1), Telangana (2), West Bengal (1) and Andhra Pradesh (1) and Union Territories of Delhi (6) and Chandigarh (1).

With this, the tally of the Omicron variant cases in the country has risen to 68.

A 24-year-old woman from Kenya and a 23-year-old man from Somalia, who landed in Hyderabad on December 12, have tested positive for the variant, a Telangana health official said on Wednesday.

State Director of Public Health G Srinivasa Rao told reporters that the two foreign nationals were asymptomatic.

West Bengal officials said that a seven-year-old boy, resident of Murshidabad district who recently returned from Abu Dhabi via Hyderabad, tested positive for the new coronavirus variant. He left for a relative's place in Malda from Kolkata airport.

Of the total 32 patients in Maharashtra, 25 have been discharged after a negative RT-PCR, the state health department said.

More cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus are likely to come to the fore in January next year in Maharashtra, a senior state public health department official said.

The Omicron variant of coronavirus is spreading fast in the world and Maharashtra is likely to see a surge in cases infected by it in January next year. The cases of Omicron infection will be found in rural areas as well as in cities, Additional Chief Secretary Pradeep Vyas said while making a presentation in the Maharashtra cabinet meeting in Mumbai.

Under the Centre's new norms, RT-PCR tests are mandatory for passengers arriving from the "at-risk" countries and they can only leave the airport only after the results come.

Passengers coming from 'at-risk' countries to six major Indian airports have to compulsorily pre-book for the on-arrival RT-PCR test from December 20 onwards, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Tuesday.

However, it clarified that in case a person faces any difficulty in pre-booking the test, the passenger must not be denied boarding.

The six airports are in Delhi, Mumbai Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

According to the Union health ministry, 'at-risk countries include those in Europe including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand and Israel.

Also, two percent of the passengers arriving on flights from other countries are being tested randomly