Omicron: Maharashtra man tests positive for new COVID variant; 4th case in India

India has detected its fourth case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Maharashtra. A man, who returned from South Africa recently has tested positive for the new variant in Mumbai's Kalyan-Dombivali municipal area on Saturday. The man had travelled back to Mumbai from South Africa via Dubai and Delhi, news agency PTI reported. This is the first confirmed case of Omicron in Maharashtra. 

According to the State Health Department, the patient is a 33-year-old with a travel history to South Africa, the country which first alerted the world about the new variant. The man had arrived in Mumbai on November 24 from Capetown through Dubai and Delhi. He is said to be completely unvaccinated. The health department further informed that 12 of his high-risk contacts and 23 of the low-risk contacts had been traced and all tested negative for COVID-19. Additionally, 25 of his co-passengers from the Delhi-Mumbai flight have also been tested negative. 

Earlier today, India had also reported its 3rd case of Omicron after a man from Jamnagar in Gujarat, who returned from Zimbabwe, tested positive for the variant. The 72-year-old man is the first reported Omicron case in Gujarat. The sample of his test was sent for genome sequencing on Thursday, Gujarat State Health Department informed, adding that the sample was now being sent to Pune for further analysis.

India's first two Omicron cases reported in Karnataka

Two individuals tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Karnataka on December 2. One of the two infected people is a South African who had travelled to India. The other is a person from Bengaluru with no travel history. Joint Secretary of Union Health Ministry, Lav Agarwal on Thursday, said during a press briefing that the two individuals - a 46-year-old man and another 66-year-old - were tested positive after their samples were sent for genome sequencing.

At least 373 cases of the new Omicron variant have been reported from 29 countries, the Director-General of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) said on Thursday. According to the WHO, the Omicron variant has a 'transmissibility advantage' given the high number of mutations it harbours. This makes the variant capable of escaping immune system responses and has a likelihood of further spread at the global level, the global health body stated.