Covid-19: Kerala records 48 new Omicron cases, state's tally at 528

Kerala confirmed 48 new Omicron cases on Saturday, taking the total infected in the state with the new variant of COVID-19 to 528, the health department said.

State health minister Veena George said out of the 48 cases, 33 came from low-risk countries while two were from high-risk nations. While nine contracted the disease from their contacts, four people are from other states.

Out of those who were found infected with the new variant, 12 people are in Kozhikode district, 9 in Ernakulam, 7 in Thrissur, 6 in Thiruvananthapuram, 4 in Kottayam and 2 in Malappuram. Kollam, Idukki, Alappuzha, Palakkad and Wayanad districts have one case each, the health department said in a release.

The health department also said there are three Tamil Nadu natives among the infected.

Of the total 528 people that have been infected with the new variant in the state, 365 came from low-risk countries while 92 arrived from high-risk nations. Till now, 61 people have contracted the disease from their contacts and 10 affected people reached Kerala from other states.