India Omicron Cases: The first two cases of Omicron in India were reported from Karnataka earlier this week.
New Delhi: India’s Omicron tally is steadily rising with fresh cases of the variant in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Delhi. Seven in Maharashtra, nine in Jaipur and a man in Delhi were found positive with the variant, taking the total count in the country to 21.
Here are the top 10 developments on this big story:
- 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.
- A case in Rajasthan and more cases in Delhi have also been reported, said officials. The respective state governments will release the details on the same.
- 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.
- “PM sahib, please stop the flights”, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had urged. The Chief Minister had also written a letter to the Prime Minister saying the same.
- 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.
- 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.
- Researchers are still checking if Omicron is more lethal and if current vaccines offer protection.