Covid: India reports 16 new cases of Omicron variant, tally rises to 21
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India reported its first case of Omicron variant when a 72-year-old Zimbabwe resident travelled to Jamnagar, Gujarat and tested positive for coronavirus
The new variant of coronavirus is spreading rapidly across India. Seven more cases of the Omicron have been reported in Maharashtra and nine in Jaipur today.
With the additional cases in Maharashtra and Jaipur, the tally of Omicron infections has increased to 21 in India. Out of these 21, eight are in Maharashtra, nine in Jaipur, one in Delhi and Gujarat each, and two in Bangalore.
Out of the seven new Omicron cases reported in Maharashtra on Sunday, six are in Pimpri and one in Pune. “Four persons who returned from foreign tours and three of their close contacts have tested positive for the new variant,” Maharashtra health ministry said.
In addition to this, two close contacts of a Covid positive patient with Omicron variant in Gujarat have also tested positive for coronavirus. However, it is not yet clear if they have been infected with the same variant or not.
It is also being reported that Jaipur has reported nine cases of Omicron variant. All these nine patients are reported to be from the same family. Four of these patients had returned from South Africa and the rest of five had been in contact with the first four.
India reported its first case of Omicron variant when a 72-year-old Zimbabwe resident travelled to Jamnagar, Gujarat and tested positive for coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health has warned that the concerns with regard to the new strain developing immunoescape mechanism should be critically addressed. The report has urged the government and experts to do an efficacy check on the existing vaccines against coronavirus conduct more extensive research to analyse the need and urgency of booster shots against the new variant of COVID-19.
"The committee believes that timely detection and isolation of potentially infectious people is very crucial in reducing the impact of the pandemic. The importance of diagnostic testing therefore, cannot be overlooked," the panel said in its report