Covid-19 pandemic: 54 more cases of Omicron variant reported in Kerala

: Kerala on Friday reported 54 more Omicron, a variant of coronavirus, and took the total affected by the variant to 761, said the State Health Department.

Of the 54, one, belonging to Karnataka, came to Kerala from the UAE.

"Out of those infected today, 35 were from low-risk nations and seven from a high-risk country. One patient reached the State from outside it and 11 contracted the disease through their contacts," the department said in a press release.

Of these, eight are from Thiruvananthapuram district, six each from Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kannur, five each from Kollam and Kottayam, four from Alappuzha, three from Kozhikode, two from Palakkad and one each from Wayanad and Kasaragod, said the department.

Out of the 761 patients so far, 518 arrived from low-risk countries and 115 from high-risk nations.

A total of 99 people in Kerala contracted the disease through contacts while 29 people came from other States, it added.