Maharashtra on Friday reported seven new cases of Omicron, including a three-and-half-year-old child, taking the total figure for such infections in the state to 17. Of the 7 new cases, three are from Mumbai and the rest from Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune. All the three Omicron patients in Mumbai have a travel history from Tanzania, the UK and South Africa-Nairobi, respectively. Mumbai now has five cases of the Omicron variant. Of the 7, four patients are asymptomatic, while 3 are having mild symptoms.
The 4 patients in Pune are contacts of some Nigerian women, who have already been infected with the Omicron variant earlier.
Of the 7 patients, 4 have been fully vaccinated. Among the other three, one has received a single dose of the vaccine, another has not been vaccinated, and the third one is the child and hence not eligible for vaccination.
Maharashtra on Friday reported 695 new Covid cases in the state, while 631 patients were discharged. The recovery rate in the state currently stands at 97.72%. Twelve Covid-19 deaths were reported and the case fatality rate is at 2.12%.
With the 7 new cases in Maharashtra, India’s total Omicron tally now stands at 32. Earlier in the day, the health ministry said the country reported 25 Omicron cases and all with mild symptoms. Of the 32 Omicron cases, nine are in Rajasthan, three in Gujarat, 17 in Maharashtra, two in Karnataka, and one in Delhi.
ICMR chief Balram Bhargava advised caution against the new variant, saying that although Omicron hasn’t yet posed a high threat to public healthcare, “we still need to be vigilant”. Bhargava also said, “We are trying to grow Omicron in a laboratory. Once that’s done, we will be able to test the efficacy of vaccines.”
Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog, said that usage of masks is showing a decline in India, which is a cause of concern. “Mask usage is declining in India. We have to remember that both vaccines and masks are important. As far as protection capability is concerned, we are now operating at a risky and unacceptable level. We should learn from the global situation,” he said.
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