Over 100 Omicron cases in India across 11 states, UTs; 32 in Maharashtra alone: Centre

As many as 101 Omicron cases have been detected across the country and Maharashtra with 32 cases has added most to the national tally, data from the ministry showed. Delhi, with 22 cases, had the second highest number of cases.

The number of Omicron cases have now surpassed 100 in the country and these infections have been reported from 11 states and Union territories so far, the Union ministry of health and family welfare said on Friday.

Rajasthan reported 17 Omicron cases and Karnataka and Telangana have identified eight infections each.(PTI | Representational image)

As many as 101 Omicron cases have been detected across the country and Maharashtra with 32 cases has added the most to the national tally, data from the ministry showed. Delhi, with 22 cases, had the second highest number of cases.

Among other states, Rajasthan reported 17 Omicron cases and Karnataka and Telangana have identified eight infections each. Meanwhile, five cases have also been reported from Gujarat and Kerala each.

Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have each reported a case of Omicron, the health ministry’s joint secretary Lav Agarwal said during a regular press briefing.

The health ministry also highlighted that the number of Omicron cases were rising globally and as of Friday, the United Kingdom reported 11,708 infections followed by Denmark with 9,009 and Norway with 1,792 cases.

South Africa, where the variant was first detected, has reported 1,247 cases so far. Less than 500 cases have been logged in other major countries like Canada, the US, France, Australia, South Korea and Belgium.

Agarwal also echoed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest observation about the new strain, which has noted Omicron was spreading faster than the Delta variant in countries like South Africa, where the older strain was less prevalent, and in the UK, where its circulation was high.

He warned the Omicron variant could cause further surges in global Covid-19 cases due to its high transmissibility and also said that the variant might potentially escape immune against the infection, noting that evidence regarding this was still emerging.

Emphasising the usage of face masks, following social distancing and hand hygiene, Agarwal repeated the WHO’s advisory that vaccines alone won’t be enough in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Balram Bhargava, the director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said non-essential travel and mass gatherings should be avoided and the New Year celebrations should be observed with “low intensity”. 

He also said districts with more than 5 per cent test positivity rate should impose restrictive measures until the weekly positive rate falls below 5 per cent for at least two weeks.