Goa logs four more cases of Omicron variant; five so far: minister

Four more cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus were reported in Goa, taking the tally of such cases to five so far, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Monday.

He said one of the four patients didn't have any foreign travel history, which indicates "indigenous" spread.

This needs to be examined in detail, Rane said.

"Few samples that were sent to NIV Pune for genome sequencing have confirmed 4 more cases of Omicron in the state of Goa. 1 patient is from within the state of Goa, with no travel history, indicating indigenous spread which needs to be further examined,"Rane tweeted.

The first case of the Omicron variant was reported in the coastal state on December 28 when an eight-year-old boy from the United Kingdom (UK) had tested positive.

On Sunday, Goa reported 388 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally in the state to 1,81,570, while one death raised the toll to 3,523, as per official data.

Goa had reported a 10.7 per cent COVID-19 positivity rate the day before.