A Maharashtra man who returned from South Africa to Mumbai has been found to be infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, news agency PTI reported on Saturday, 4 December, quoting the official sources. This is the fourth confirmed case to be detected in the country so far.
Meanwhile, amid concerns about the new Omicron variant of coronavirus, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday, 4 December, asked the CEO, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) to send a single line list of international travellers arriving in Mumbai in the preceding 24 hours to the disaster management unit.
The list will then be forwarded to Ward War Rooms who will telephonically call the passengers five times a day during their home quarantine.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday warned that countries in the Asia-Pacific region need to strengthen healthcare services and focus on vaccinating their people, as the Omicron variant spreads globally and enters new regions.
'Omicron,' which has been declared as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), has raised alarm bells across the globe
According to the World Health Organization, it is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible or severe compared to Delta
The B.1.1.529 strain of COVID-19, or Omicron, was first reported by South Africa on 24 November 2021
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Maharashtra Man Tests Positive for Omicron Variant
A 33-year old man hailing from Maharashtra who returned to Mumbai from South Africa via Dubai and Delhi has tested positive for Omicron variant of coronavirus.
This is the fourth Omicron case to be detected in India and first to be detected in Maharashtra.
"He hasn't taken any vaccine. Twelve of his high-risk contacts and 23 of the low-risk contacts have been traced and all have been tested negative for Covid-19. Additionally, 25 of the co-passengers from the Delhi-Mumbai flight have also been tested negative. More contacts are currently being traced," Maharashtra Health Department said.
Gujarat Man Found Infected With Omicron Variant
A Gujarat man who returned from Zimbabwe to Jamnagar has been found to be infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, news agency PTI reported on Saturday, 4 December, quoting the Gujarat health department.
Omicron Variant Reaches 40 Countries
So far it has been detected in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe, as well as in travellers to Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Réunion, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.
Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Portugal and Spain have also reported small numbers of cases in people who did not travel internationally.
In Madurai, Unvaccinated Citizens Barred From 18 Public Places
With a low percent of fully-vaccinated people in the district, the Madurai district administration has imposed restrictions on unvaccinated people venturing in public spaces on Friday, 3 December, The News Minute reported.
Madurai Collector S Aneesh imposed this restriction following the inspection conducted by Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Thursday.
In a meeting with officials, the Madurai Collector said that those who are unvaccinated will not be allowed to venture into public spaces such as ration shops, business enterprises, supermarkets, movie theatres, malls, textile shops, banks, weddings halls among others.