Total number of Omicron cases in Delhi rises to 165: Govt data

The total number of cases of new Omicron variant of COVID-19 recorded in the national capital has mounted to 165, according to data shared by the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday.

Amid the Omicron scare, Delhi recorded 331 fresh coronavirus cases, the highest single-day rise since June 9 and one death, on Monday, while the positivity rate mounted to 0.68 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

India has logged 653 cases of the Omicron variant across 21 states and UTs so far, out of which 186 people have recovered or migrated, showed the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.

Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of 167 such cases followed by Delhi at 165, Kerala 57, Telangana 55, Gujarat 49 and Rajasthan 46.

According to officials at Batra Hospital, five Omicron patients are admitted there, and seven patients are Covid positive, but their genome sequencing reports still awaited. Seven others have been discharged after testing negative for Omicron variant, they said.

Every patient is asymptomatic and all had a travel history. Out of 14 patients the hospital has had, 11 had received three shots of Pfizer Covid vaccine, one person had got Johnson and Johnson vaccine, while one other has been inoculated with Covishield and the other had received Covaxin vaccine, officials said.

Four suspected cases of Omicron are admitted to City Hospital unit of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, sources said.

All the four people have a travel history and are NRIs, and while two came from France, one each had arrived from the UK and Ghana, they said.

The genome sequencing reports of these patients are still awaited, a source said.

Details from LNJP Hospital are still awaited.

Delhi's first case of the Omicron variant -- a 37-year-old man from Ranchi -- was detected on December 5. He has been discharged.

Amid a jump in Omicron cases reported in Delhi, doctors have warned that people should avoid all kinds of gatherings as this is a highly transmissible variant, and follow Covid-appropriate behaviours, else the situation may worsen.