Ten new Omicron cases have been reported in Delhi after the city saw the sharpest daily spike in coronavirus cases in nearly four months with 85 fresh infections on Thursday. The patients are between 20 and 55 years, a doctor in the capital said.
Only one of the nine patients has shown symptoms, which are mild, said Suresh Kumar, Medical Director at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital.
So far, the doctor said, Omicron has shown milder effect on patients compared to the Delta variant, which drove the deadly second wave of Covid in April-May.
Overall, Delhi has recorded 20 Omicron cases since the new variant was detected in South Africa last month. Eighteen had a travel history while two were close contacts of Omicron patients.
Ten patients have been discharged. Five of these cases arrived from the UK.
No respiratory complications reported so far in any of the 20 patients, the doctor said. None required oxygen support or ICU. One patient showed symptoms like body ache and upset stomach.
Of the 10 new cases, two are from UK, four from Dubai, two from Tanzania and two from South Africa.
Across India, over 90 cases of the new variant have been reported so far.
Maharashtra, the state with the highest overall Covid cases, has so far recorded the most number of Omicron cases at 32. Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh are the other states that've registered patients affected by the new variant, said to be highly transmissible.
The centre has told states to step up surveillance and genome sequencing amid fresh concerns. With new travel rules, tighter restrictions have been put in place at airports.
XBB.1.16 Variant Most Dominant Strain Of Covid In India: Health Body 234 Cases Of Mutated Omicron Sub-Variant (XBB1.16.1) Found In India XBB.1.16, New Covid-19 Variant: What We Know So Far Chaos Erupts On Ryanair Flight After Passenger Dies Mid-Air Uddhav Thackeray's "Names On TV" Dig At Poll Officials After 2 Bag Checks Watch: Passengers Run For Safety As Cruise Ship Tilts In The Atlantic Ocean Inflation In Argentina Dips Below 200% For First Time In A Year Explained: What The Latest Science Shows Us About Climate Change US Senate Democrats Rush To Confirm Judges Before Trump Takes Office Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.