Omicron Cases Cross 100 In India, 11 States Have Reported Infections, Avoid Travel, Says Govt

The number of COVID-19 infections linked to the new variant, Omicron has reached 101 in India as the national capital Delhi added ten more cases to its tally.

According to the Union Health Ministry 32 cases were reported in Maharashtra, 22 in Delhi, 17 in Rajasthan, 8 each in Karnataka and Telangana, 5 each in Gujarat and Kerala, one each in Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal respectively.

Reuters

Health Secretary Lav Agarwal said that only a few Omicron cases in India are without travel history and there is nothing to conclude we are in community transmission of the new strain.

Low-key New Year celebrations

Citing the rapid spread of Omicron globally, the government advised people to keep new year celebrations at low intensity.

PTI

It said that though daily COVID-19 cases are below 10,000 for the past 20 days, there is a need to stay vigilant in view of the new variant and rising cases in other countries.

Avoid non-essential travel

With the coronavirus' Omicron variant spreading very fast across Europe and other parts of the world, people need to avoid non-essential travel. They must also avoid mass gatherings, and new year celebrations need to be at low intensity, the government said.

Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), it also said that the Omicron variant is spreading faster than the Delta variant of the coronavirus in South Africa, where Delta circulation was low.

PTI

It is likely that Omicron spread will outpace Delta variant where community transmission occurs, the government said citing the WHO.

On Thursday ten new cases of Omicron were reported from Delhi, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Friday.

As per the Minister, the new cases have taken the total tally of Omicron cases in Delhi to 20.

Out of these 20, a total of 10 people have been discharged, said the Delhi Health Minister.

Mild symptoms so far

According to doctors at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital, only one of the 10 patients had symptoms and so far the infection has shown milder effects on patients compared to Delta.

BCCL

On Thursday, a report had claimed that India is likely to see a spike in Omicron cases in January-February 2022 as it is likely to spread quicker than the Delta strain.

What WHO said

WHO¡¯s latest brief on Omicron says it is likely that it will outpace Delta in areas where community transmission takes place. The Delta variant is still a problem all over the world.

¡°We need to work on controlling Omicron¡¯s transmissibility,¡± the official said.

WHO¡¯s latest brief on Omicron says it is likely that it will outpace Delta in areas where community transmission takes place. The Delta variant is still a problem all over the world.

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