54 Omicron cases in Delhi, 3 have no travel history: Satyendar Jain

Three out of the 34 Omicron-positive cases reported at the Lok Nayak Hospital here do not have travel history, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Tuesday.

The minister said the number of Omicron cases in the capital has increased to 54.

"The LNJP Hospital has reported 34 cases of Omicron so far. Seventeen of them have been discharged. Of the 34 patients, three do not have travel history. We are trying to ascertain if they came in contact with Omicron-infected people who returned from foreign countries," Jain told reporters here.

Last week, the Delhi government had asked four private hospitals -- Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Rajinder Nagar, Max Hospital in Saket, Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj and Batra Hospital in Tughlakabad -- to set up facilities for treating and isolating suspected cases of Omicron.

"We have also come across some international travellers who tested negative for COVID-19 before taking a flight to Delhi but came out positive upon arrival at the airport," Jain said.

He said Omicron originated in a foreign country and stopping all international flights is the only way to contain the spread of the new "variant of concern".

He said the state-run genome sequencing labs at Lok Nayak Hospital and Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences can sequence more than 100 samples a day.

According to the directions of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, genome sequencing of all Covid-positive samples is being done in Delhi, Jain said.

Earlier in the day, the health minister inaugurated the advanced life support ambulance service at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya in east Delhi.

This ambulance is equipped with modern facilities like incubators, monitors, and oxygen therapy for newborn babies. It can also be used as an operation theatre in case of an emergency.

Jain thanked the Seed India Foundation for donating the ambulance.