Maha detects 4 new Omicron cases, tally rises to 32

Mumbai: Four new cases of Covid-19 variant Omicron have been detected in Maharashtra, taking the state’s tally to 32, officials said on Wednesday.

The cases include two in Mumbai and one each from Osmanabad and Buldhana districts, of whom one is a minor.

Of these new infectees, one is a woman, and three had recently travelled to Sharjah, Dubai, and Ireland.

The three adults have been vaccinated while the 16-year-old is not eligible for a jab. All patients are asymptomatic but admitted to hospitals for treatment.

Presently, Maharashtra’s Omicron cases are spread in several regions including the highest (14) in Mumbai, followed by Pune district with 12 patients, while there is one each in Palghar, Thane, Latur, Nagpur, Osmanabad, and Buldhana.

Intensive surveillance of passengers arriving at the three international airports – Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur – is currently underway since December 1.

A total of 14,522 travellers have landed here from the “high risk” countries of which 30 have tested positive and 9 from other countries, with all their reports sent for genomic sequencing to confirm if they are afflicted by Omicron, said the officials.

Besides, 447 samples from field surveys conducted since November 1 have been sent for genomic sequencing with the results of 32 awaited, said Health Department officials.