Omicron variant tally at 21; Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan report cases

The number of Omicron cases in India has shot up to 21, with reports coming in from Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Delhi reported one, Maharashtra seven and Rajasthan nine cases of Omicron in a day.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain confirmed the first Omicron case in Delhi on Sunday. The patient had returned from Tanzania and is now admitted in the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital that has a special ward for Omicron cases. The patient, reportedly, was fully vaccinated.

Jain said that 17 people have been admitted in LNJP Hospital so far and genome sequencing for 12 samples have been done. One of those 12 people had the Omicron variant as per the preliminary report.

Medical director at LNJP Hospital said that the Omicron patient had a sore throat and fever initially but did not see a drop in oxygen level.

Maharashtra, on Sunday, added seven Omicron cases. These cases were reported from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. A 44-year-old woman who had come from Lagos on November 24 and met her brother in Pimpri-Chinchwad has been detected with Omicron. Her two daughters, her brother and his two daughters have all tested positive for Omicron.

A 47-year-old man from Pune too has been detected with the variant.

Nine people of a family who came from South Africa tested positive for Omicron in Rajasthan’s Jaipur. The state health department said that the people who came in contact with these nine patients have been isolated.

Meanwhile in Karnataka, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) tracked down the ten individuals who had gone missing after their arrival from South Africa.

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