The Omicron coronavirus strain is spreading rapidly in India and the world. On Monday, after two more people were confirmed to be infected with Omicron in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, India’s statistics approached the two dozen mark (23 to be precise). According to the Buriham Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a 37-year-old man landed in Mumbai, South Africa on November 25 and was found to be infected with Omicron, and one of his contacts-a 36-year-old female friend, she Arrived in the city from the United States on the same day.

The press release stated that both of them were fully vaccinated.

These are the first two Omicron cases from Mumbai and the third case from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Earlier, a 33-year-old traveler returned from South Africa to Dombivli, adjacent to Thane, and tested positive for the new variant. The BMC further stated that it began testing international travelers for Covid-19 in November1 and so far, 16 of them have been found to be positive for the infection. Citizen groups say that 12 of them are men and the other 4 are women.

It further stated in a press release that as of December 5, a total of 4,480 passengers had arrived in Mumbai from “at-risk” countries. Before Mumbai, six people, including three Nigerian nationals, tested positive for the Omicron variant in Pimpri Chinchwad in the Pune region. Another man who recently returned to Pune from Finland also tested positive for Omicron.

Rajasthan (9), Karnataka (2) and Gujarat (1) are other states that have reported Omicron cases. The national capital Delhi also reported a new variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus on December 5.

The Omicron variant first appeared in Southern Africa at the end of last month. Scientists there found a rapidly spreading strain in one of the samples taken from Botswana. Since then, Omicron has expanded to more than two dozen countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified Omicron as a “variant of concern” and warned people to be cautious.

The Indian government has imposed strict measures on international travelers, especially those from Omicron disaster-stricken areas that are classified as “risky” countries.

News source : Hindustan times