Kerala logs 59 new Omicron cases, total infections of new variant rise to 480

Kerala on Thursday reported 59 fresh Omicron cases, taking the total number of people infected with the new variant of COVID-19 to 480, the Health Department said.

Of the 59 fresh cases, 12 were from Alappuzha district, 10 from Thrissur, 8 from Pathanamthitta, 7 from Ernakulam, 6 each from Kollam and Malappuram, 5 from Kozhikode, 2 each from Palakkad and Kasaragod and one 1 from Kannur, a department release said.

Of these, 42 persons came from low risk countries and 5 from high risk nations, it said and added that 9 out of the 59 were infected through contact.

It also said that 3 out of the 10 infected persons in Thrissur came from other states.

Of the 59, 33 came from UAE, 6 from Qatar, 2 from USA and 1 each from Turkey, Israel, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Germany, the release said.

Of the 480 confirmed cases of Omicron in the state, 332 came from low risk countries and 90 from high risk nations, the release said and added that 52 were infected via contact and 6 came from other states.

The department also said that strict action would be taken against those institutions which do not report formation of COVID clusters, like the private nursing college in Pathanamthitta.

The college had not reported formation of an 'Omicron-cluster' there, the department said and added that it has asked the District Medical Officer to take action against the institution.

The department, in the release, said that all institutions must follow the COVID guidelines and an increase in COVID cases should be reported.