E-Paper
Maharashtra detects 2 more cases of Omicron infection
The department said both the patients do not have any symptoms, and have been admitted to the Seven Hills Hospital.
Maharashtra reported two cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in Mumbai, taking the state's count to 10, the health department said on Monday.
The department said both the patients do not have any symptoms, and are under observation at the Seven Hills Hospital.
According to news agency ANI, a 37-year-old man, who returned from South Africa, and his 36-year-old US-returnee friend, were found to be infected with the Omicron variant.
This is the second consecutive day that Maharashtra has reported Omicron cases. With the latest Omicron cases in Mumbai, India now has 23 patients so far.
Earlier Maharashtra reported seven more cases of the Omicron variant. Among the infected who were detected yesterday all of them belonged to the Pune district, six in Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and one in Pune city and rural areas of the district. Of these seven patients, three recently visited Lagos and are from the same family. The other person recently traveled to Finland.
Rajasthan was the second state to report Omicron infections on Sunday following Maharashtra. The Rajasthan state health department said that it detected nine people in Jaipur with the viral variant of the coronavirus. Four of the nine people infected with the Omicron variant in Jaipur are South Africa returnees, where the variant was first detected.
A case of the Omicron variant was detected in Delhi last week. The first two cases were detected in Karnataka, after which cases were reported in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The Omicron variant created concerns among vaccine makers and health experts alike regarding the effect it would have on the pandemic due to its mutations and transmission capability. The detection of the new variant also led to international flight restrictions in several European countries. The US government is planning to hasten the process of giving boosters to its citizens in a bid to protect them from the viral variant.
