India’s Omicron cases count crossed the 100 mark on Friday after recording the highest single day rise of 24 fresh cases of the new variant, even as the Centre advised people to avoid non-essential travel and mass gatherings and keep New Year celebrations at low intensity. Addressing a joint news conference in Delhi, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal said though daily COVID-19 cases are below 10,000 for the past 20 days, there is a need to stay vigilant in view of the new Omicron variant and rising cases in other countries.
Here is the list of states with Omicron cases:
MAHARASHTRA (40)
With a 29-year-old man who returned from New York testing positive for Omicron variant here on Friday, the tally of Omicron patients in Maharashtra has reached 40. Notably, the man, who has no symptoms, had taken three doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, it added.
“The patient has been admitted to a hospital as a precautionary measure and he has no symptoms,” the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a release. This raised the tally of Omicron patients found in the country’s financial capital to 15, including five who are from outside Mumbai.
But 13 of these patients have already been discharged from hospitals. In fact, none of the 15 Omicron patients found in the city so far has reported severe symptoms, the BMC said.
DELHI (22)
Twelve more people tested positive for the new Covid variant Omicron in Delhi on Friday, taking their number to 22, and officials said most of them are “fully vaccinated” and “asymptomatic”. Ten of the 22 patients have been discharged, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said. On Tuesday, he had said that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has not spread in the community so far and the situation is under control.
RAJASTHAN (17)
The state has so far recorded 17 cases of the new variant of coronavirus.
Sixteen new coronavirus cases and one death due to the disease were reported in Rajasthan on Friday, according to an official statement.
KARNATAKA (8)
With five more cases of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus detected in Karnataka on Thursday, December 16, taking the totally tally in the state to eight. Of the state’s first three Omicron patients, two have been discharged and one fled the country.
GUJARAT (7)
Days after their return from Zambia in Africa, an elderly couple from Vadodara city of Gujarat has been found infected with the newly discovered Omicron strain of coronavirus, officials said on Friday, December 17. With the addition of these two fresh cases, Gujarat’s Omicron tally has reached 7, of which three patients have been discharged from hospital.
Notably, Omicron has been found in the couple despite the fact that Zambia is a “non-high risk” country, said Medical Officer of Health, Vadodara Municipal Corporation, Dr Devesh Patel.The coupe, a 75-year-old man and his 67-year-old wife who resides in the Fatehpura area, had arrived in Vadodara from the east African country on December 7, he said.
TELANGANA (8)
Two more Omicron cases been reported in Telangana, taking the total number of cases of the new coronavirus variant in the State to eight, a health official said on Friday, December 17. Observing that all the eight cases were those of passengers who arrived from abroad, State Director of Public Health G Srinivasa Rao said neither community transmission nor locals testing positive for Omicron occurred in Telangana so far.
KERALA (7)
Kerala on December 17 logged two fresh cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, taking the overall tally to seven, the state health department said. The new variant of the virus was detected in an elderly couple who arrived in Kochi from the UAE. The state had detected its first Omicron case on December 12 in Ernakulam district when a person who had returned from the UK tested positive. Four more cases of the new variant were confirmed on December 15.
WEST BENGAL (1)
A seven-year-old boy, who was the first person of West Bengal to have tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19, and his family members were discharged from a hospital in Malda district on Thursday after they tested negative for the virus, a health department official said. The boy recently returned to West Bengal from Abu Dhabi via Hyderabad. He had left for a relative’s place at Kaliachak in Malda district from Kolkata airport. He was admitted to the Malda Medical College and Hospital along with his sister and parents.
CHANDIGARH (1)
Chandigarh reported its first case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus as a 20-year-old fully vaccinated man, who had come from Italy to meet his relatives here, tested positive for the infection, Health department officials said on December 12. “His report for whole genomic sequencing was received late night on December 11 and found positive for Omicron variant,” Director, Health Services, Chandigarh, Dr Suman Singh told.
ANDHRA PRADESH (1)
A 34-year old foreign traveller, who came from Ireland to Mumbai and then to Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, tested positive for the variant on December 12. “His report for whole genomic sequencing was received late night on December 11 and has been found positive for Omicron variant,” a statement said.
TAMIL NADU (1)
A 47-year-old man who had arrived from Nigeria, along with six of his family members a few days ago, tested positive for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus on December 15, marking the first such case being reported in Tamil Nadu, according to the State Minister Ma Subramanian. The passenger who arrived here from Nigeria via Doha on December 10 had tested Covid-19 positive and six of his family members too had tested positive for the virus, the Minister for Medical and Family Welfare said.
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