Omicron variant found in 84 pct of COVID-19 samples tested in Delhi

NEW DELHI, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) — Indian Delhi’s health minister Satyendra Jain said on Monday the latest genome sequencing report shows the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been found in 84 percent of the samples tested in Delhi.

“The cases in Delhi are increasing for the past 10-15 days ever since the detection of Omicron but the matter of satisfaction is people are not showing signs of severe illness and as of now very less hospitalization is required,” Jain told media, adding “in the last two days, 84 percent of the cases were found to be of the Omicron variant.”

Local media reports said Delhi witnessed yet another worrying surge in COVID-19 cases, which is believed to be driven by the new Omicron variant, with 4,099 infections recorded in the last 24 hours.
Last week Jain blamed international flights for the surge in COVID-19 cases.

On Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged people not to be panic, citing the local low hospitalizations.

“I just want to tell you that all new cases are with mild symptoms, asymptomatic, so there is no need to panic,” Kejriwal said in a televised address.

Meanwhile, India’s federal health ministry on Monday morning said the Omicron case tally across India had reached 1,700 patients.

Of these cases, 510 were detected in Maharashtra, followed by 351 in Delhi.

The Omicron strain of COVID-19, known to be highly transmissible, has triggered alarm bells across the globe.

The Indian government has said with the Omicron variant “spreading rapidly,” there is a need to avoid unnecessary travel and mass gatherings.

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