Omicron LIVE Updates: India's Omicron tally jumps to 21 in 3 days

Omicron is nothing but a new variant of coronavirus that has been emerged from South Africa. This Omicron variant has already affected more than 40 countries worldwide.

In India, the first two cases of Omicron were reported in Karnataka earlier this week. And India's Omicron tally is rising rapidly as there was a sudden jump of 17 new cases in a single day.

In India, the number of Omicron cases on 4 November was 4 which rose up to 21 by the end of 5 November.

1. A woman and her two daughters who traveled from Nigeria, her brother, and his two daughters in Pimpri Chinchwad - a township near Pune - and one male who traveled from Finland have tested positive for the new variant in Maharashtra.

2. The nine patients in Jaipur are from the same family and have recently returned from South Africa.

3. A 37-year-old man who arrived in Delhi from Tanzania tested positive for the Omicron variant earlier today.

4. A case in Rajasthan and more cases in Delhi have also been reported, said officials. The respective state governments will release the details on the same.

5. The first two cases of Omicron in India were reported from Karnataka earlier this week. The other two cases were detected in Gujarat and Maharashtra. With seven new cases, the Omicron cases in Maharashtra have risen to 8.

6. "PM sahib, please stop the flights", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had urged. The Chief Minister had also written a letter to the Prime Minister saying the same.

7. Omicron, first detected in South Africa on November 25, has been described as a "variant of concern" by the WHO.

8. International airports across India are intensively screening and testing all passengers from "at-risk" countries. In line with central guidelines, all passengers from such countries have to take RT-PCR tests on arrival. The test result has to be negative in order to leave the airport.

9. The list of countries deemed "at-risk" for now includes the United Kingdom, all 44 countries in Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Israel.

10. Researchers are still checking if Omicron is more lethal and if current vaccines offer protection.

In total, there are 9 cases in Jaipur, 7 cases in Maharashtra, 2 cases in Karnataka, 1 case in Gujarat, and 1 case in Delhi.

Writer - Tanishq Aggarwal

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