Omicron: Delhi & Rajasthan report 4 new cases; total tally in India climbs to 49

As the new COVID-19 variant Omicron continues to grip the country with fresh infections every day, the total count of Omicron cases has climbed to 49, with four new infections each in Delhi and Rajasthan on Tuesday. With that, the number of cases in Delhi has now risen to 6, while Rajasthan stands at 13.

Informing about the same, Rajasthan Health Minister Parsadi Lal Meena said that four cases have been reported and the health conditions of the patients are stable. "Meanwhile all previous Omicron cases in the state have tested Covid negative now", he added.

Similarly, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain also confirmed about four fresh cases in the national capital. "Out of the six cases, one patient has been discharged from the hospital and there are currently 35 Covid positive patients and 3 suspected cases admitted to LNJP hospital", he said. 

Meanwhile, other states which have reported the new variant include Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, and Gujarat. In view of the recent spike in COVID cases, the central government has also urged people to maintain proper COVID-19 precautions and further get vaccinated.

Notably, India on Tuesday reported 5,784 fresh COVID-19 cases followed by 7,995 recoveries and 252 fatalities in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Omicron in India

The new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, is a highly transmissible virus and has already been declared as a 'variant of concern' by the World Health Organisation. The variant which was first detected in South Africa has so far spread across various countries including India.

With Maharashtra reporting the maximum number of Omicron cases, health authorities are on high alert and international flights have also been suspended. Earlier in the day, a 47-year-old man in Chennai after arriving from Nigeria via Doha has tested positive for Covid-19, while his S-gene drop indicates the presence of the new variant. It is yet to be confirmed by genome sequencing reports. 

Other than him, five of his family members have tested positive for COVID-19 and are undergoing treatment at the King Institute, Guindy, informed Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian. Their samples have been also sent for whole-genome sequencing.

Image: PTI/Unsplash/Facebook/@ParsadiLalMeena