Two Omicron cases detected in Gujarat, Maharashtra; total toll 4

Hyderabad, December 5: On 4th December, two more cases of Omicron variant of the Covid-19 were detected in Gujarat and Maharashtra. On Saturday, a 72-year-old man in Gujarat's Jamnagar city who returned from Zimbabwe and a 33-year-old man in Kalyan Dombivali, Maharashtra who returned from South Africa were confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant.

This has taken the total toll of Omicron cases in the country to four.

Union Health Ministry on Wednesday had confirmed two cases of Omicron variant reported in Karnataka.

"Two cases of Omicron detected in Karnataka so far through genome sequencing effort of INSACOG consortium of 37 laboratories established by the Ministry of Health. We need not panic, but awareness is absolutely essential. COVID apt behavior is required," said Balram Bhargava, DG ICMR.

Health Ministry also said that all their contacts have been identified and that they are being monitored. No severe symptoms of the Omicron variant of COVID19 reported so far. All Omicron-related cases are found to have mild symptoms so far. In all such cases in the country and across the world so far, no severe symptom has been noted. WHO has said that its emerging evidence is being studied," said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry.

The Telangana director of public health on Friday had said that nine passengers who travelled from 'at-risk' countries have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here. All the new samples have been sent for genome testing. All those who tested positive are under isolation at TIMS in Gachibowli.

So far, no Omicron cases have been detected in Telangana.