India’s count of Covid-19 cases linked to the new Omicron variant has gone up to 21 with nine people in Rajasthan, including a four-member NRI family from South Africa testing positive for the disease.
The four member NRI family had attended a wedding in Jaipur on November 28 that was attended by around 100 guests. The groom is from Sikar in Rajasthan while the bride is from Delhi.
The Rajasthan health authorities are worried that the large gathering may lead to more clusters. The Delhi government has also been informed about the incident.
This adds to the 7 cases detected on Sunday in Pune and one in Delhi of the Omicron strain of the virus. The first two cases of Omicron in the country were reported from Karnataka earlier this week while two cases were detected from Gujarat and Maharashtra.
An 33-year-old Indian national, who has just returned from Tanzania, tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Delhi on Sunday.
The patient has been admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital in the capital, where a separate ward has been set up for Omicron patients. He is fully vaccinated and suffers from mild symptoms.
Dr Suresh Kumar, medical director at LNJP Hospital, said that the Omicron patient had a sore throat and fever initially. The patient is also suffering from body pain and weakness, but no drop in oxygen level has been recorded.
"The patient is being monitored 24 hours a day and special care is being taken of the oxygen level. If the number of Omicron patients in the hospital increases, we are prepared for the eventuality," he added.
