India has reported 358 cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant so far, the Health Ministry said Friday evening. Maharashtra – worst hit by the second Covid wave – has logged the most with 88, followed by Delhi with 67 and Telangana with 38.
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There are 244 active Omicron cases. 114 people were discharged after treatment. Apart from Maharashtra, Delhi and Telangana, Tamil Nadu (34), Karnataka (31), Gujarat (30), Kerala (27) and Rajasthan (22) also have cases of the new strain, as do Haryana, Odisha, J&K, Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, UP, Chandigarh, Ladakh and Uttarakhand.
Health Ministry data from Friday morning showed 122 Omicron Covid cases were reported in the previous 24 hours – meaning India’s Omicron caseload jumped by a third in one day. The caseload crossed 100 exactly one week ago and it crossed 200 on Tuesday.
A worrying point from today’s Health Ministry briefing was that 91 per cent of all Omicron patients in India were fully vaccinated and 27 per cent had no travel history, reinforcing experts’ fears the new strain can evade existing vaccines and is entrenched in the local population.
A study to test the impact of boosters – on 3,000 fully vaccinated individuals – is being planned. Several countries, including the US and those in Europe, have started giving booster shots. India has yet to do so, despite calls from scientific experts and the WHO.
The government last week told the Delhi High Court it is studying available evidence on this topic, and it has also stressed on the need to ensure maximum possible primary vaccination coverage – that is, ensuring all eligible people have received the mandatory two doses.
Concern over the spread of Omicron have also been raised by the Allahabad High Court, which has asked the Election Commission to reconsider holding elections in over half-a-dozen states this year, including the country’s most populous state – Uttar Pradesh.
On Wednesday the government warned states and UTs that Omicron was at least three times more infectious than Delta. States and UTs were advised to re-activate Covid ‘war rooms’ to better coordinate the well-used three-pronged ‘test, track, treat’ strategy.
UP and Madhya Pradesh have become the first states to impose restrictions in the face of the Omicron variant. Both states have announced night curfews between 11 pm and 5 am.
Mumbai yesterday reported 602 fresh cases of COVID-19 – the biggest single-day spike in 77 days. On October 6 the city reported 629 cases. Delhi, meanwhile, reported a frightening 96 per cent increase in all Covid cases in a 14-day period ending Wednesday.
Over 1.5 lakh Omicron cases have now been reported from 108 countries, with the UK accounting for over 90,000 and Denmark over 30,000. 26 deaths have been reported. The WHO has warned countries that Omicron cases are doubling every 1.5 to three days.