The Nagpur district in Maharashtra reported its first case of COVID-19 new variant Omicron, informed Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B on Sunday.
The 40-year-old patient, who tested positive for omicron, has a history of travelling to West Africa.
"After returning to Nagpur, the man underwent genome sequencing along with the COVID-19 test. Only then did it become clear that he had an omicron infection. He is stable and is undergoing treatment at the hospital. Other members of the patient's family have been reported negative. Other people who came in contact with the patient concerned are being traced and all of them will be tested by the administration. Samples were taken from the person concerned at Nagpur airport on December 4," said Radhakrishnan B.
A total of 18 cases of Omicron have been reported in the state so far, of which seven patients have been discharged from the hospital following recovery.
Chandigarh reported its first case of Omicron after swab samples of a fully vaccinated 20-year-old male passenger from Italy, who had tested COVID-19 positive on December 1, revealed the presence of the new variant of the novel coronavirus.
States including Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat have reported cases of the new COVID-19 variant with the total number of Omicron cases in the country going up to 37.
On November 26, the WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as 'Omicron'.
( With inputs from ANI )
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