Adding two new Omicron instances in Mumbai, Maharashtra now has ten cases

Two people from Mumbai's Western suburbs have been discovered positive for the Omicron strain of Covid-19, two days after a 33-year-old unvaccinated male who returned from South Africa to Dombivali tested positive. A 37-year-old guy who arrived in Mumbai on November 25 from Johannesburg, South Africa, and his 36-year-old female acquaintance who arrived on the same day from the United States both tested positive for the latest Covid version. Both of them lived on Mumbai's western outskirts.

 

The state of Maharashtra now has 10 Omicron instances, including three in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, six in Pimpri-Chinchwad, and one in Pune. The National Institute for Virology in Pune validated the two Mumbai instances in its report, according to authorities from the Health Department. The Health Department note stated, "Both patients exhibit no symptoms and are admitted to SevenHills Hospital (in Marol)." Both patients were injected with Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, according to the statement. On November 29 and 30, the two had RT-PCR tests that came back positive for Covid, after which their samples were forwarded to the National Institute for Virology for genome sequencing.

 

Five high-risk and 315 low-risk contacts of the two have been located, according to Health Department authorities, with more tracing underway. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region received its first Omicron case on Saturday when a 33-year-old unvaccinated male in Dombivali tested positive for the newest form. On November 24, he landed in Mumbai from Cape Town via Dubai and New Delhi. His 12 high-risk contacts and 23 low-risk contacts were all tested for Covid-19 and confirmed to be negative. On the Delhi-Mumbai journey, 25 of his other passengers tested negative as well.

 

The Covid task force of the state government has called for increased monitoring and stated that it is necessary to investigate whether Omicron may displace the Delta form as the prevalent variant in circulation in the coming weeks. "There are suspicious instances, and there may be a few more confirmations, but for the time being, we must follow Covid's guidelines and be vaccinated."

 

According to health specialists, there isn't enough clarity on the severity of the present Omicron infection rate, and further information is expected in the next two weeks. "We need to return to the fundamentals of tracing, testing, and treating." After a new variation is discovered to be in circulation, cases take a month or two to rise, as we've seen," said Dr. Rahul Pandit, a member of the National Covid-19 committee.

 

Meanwhile, Suresh Kakani, the Additional Municipal Commissioner for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said the number of Covid-positive fliers has climbed to 29, with 20 being international travellers and nine being discovered through contact tracing. "There is no need to be alarmed in Mumbai." He added, "We have sufficient medical infrastructure in place to handle any surge in patients."

 

In response to worries about the Omicron strain of coronavirus, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called on the government to announce "extra" doses of Covid vaccination for healthcare workers, frontline workers, and immunocompromised people on Monday. It also asked that the government move quickly on the proposal to vaccinate children aged 12 to 18. "At a time when India is regaining its footing, this is a major setback. "We may have a major third wave if we do not take sufficient steps," the IMA said.

 

 

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