Omicron: 68 patients currently admitted at LNJP Hospital; 40 discharged

The Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital is currently treating 68 patients of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, while 40 patients have been discharged, a senior official of the health facility said on Sunday.

Most of the patients discharged were asymptomatic while two-three other patients had minor symptoms. None of the Omicron patients, so far, have required oxygen support or COVID-19 medications, the official said.

"There are 68 patients of Omicron admitted currently. Today, 20 coronavirus patients arrived at the facility from the airport. There are 31 patients, whose genome sequencing reports are awaited," said Dr Suresh Kumar, medical director of the LNJP Hospital.

The hospital is the Delhi government's largest healthcare facility.

So far, 422 Omicron cases have been detected across 17 states and union territories in India and 130 of these people have recovered or migrated, according to Union health ministry data updated on Sunday.

Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of Omicron cases at 108, followed by Delhi at 79, Gujarat 43, Telangana 41, Kerala 38, Tamil Nadu 34 and Karnataka 31.

Besides the LNJP Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital, Max Hospital Saket, Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj and Batra Hospital in Tughlakabad have also set up facilities for isolating and treating suspected cases of Omicron following orders from the Delhi government.

Genome sequencing of samples of all COVID-19-infected people in Delhi is being conducted since December 22 to ascertain if the new Omicron variant has spread in the community.