India reports 5th Omicron case with Tanzania-returnee testing positive in Delhi
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said the patient has mild symptoms and is currently undergoing treatment at Lok Nayak Hospital.
FollowIndia’s fifth Omicron case was detected in Delhi as a Tanzania returnee tested positive for the strain at Lok Nayak Hospital. The new variant was detected in a 37-year-old man who arrived in Delhi from Tanzania and has been admitted with mild symptoms.
“First omicron case detected in Delhi. The patient admitted to LNJP Hospital had returned from Tanzania. Till now, 17 people who tested positive for Covid have been admitted to the hospital,” Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said in a statement.
This is the fifth case of the Omicron variant in India. The first two cases of the infection were detected in Karnataka. The third and the fourth case of the Omicron variant were reported from Gujarat's Jamnagar and Maharashtra's Dombivali on Saturday.
Meanwhile, fifteen suspected patients of Omicron, who flew in the national capital from “at risk” countries are admitted to the Delhi government’s LNJP hospital, news agency PTI reported.
The Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa in November and has spread to many other countries. Scientists are studying if the variant is more infectious than Delta or has the potential to evade vaccines.
“PM sahib, please stop the flights,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chief Minister had also written a letter to the Prime Minister saying the same.
The WHO has urged countries to prepare by accelerating vaccinations and put mitigation plans in place to maintain essential health services. "Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic," the WHO said in a statement.
