37% Of Local Mumbai Covid Cases Are Omicron, No Travel History

More than a third of the positive COVID-19 samples of Mumbai residents with no travel history detected between December 21-December 22 are of the Omicron variant, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Friday.

Of the 375 samples collected, 37 per cent or 141 were detected to be of the Omicron variant and none of these cases have any travel history.

The numbers suggest how pervasive the highly-infections variant already is in the community and how quickly it is spreading.

Among the 141 Omicron patients, 89 are men while 52 are women. Out of these 141, 93 are fully vaccinated, and 3 have taken one dose of coronavirus vaccine.

Seven have moderate symptoms, 39 are mildly symptomatic, and 95 are asymptomatic. "Only seven patients, who are moderately symptomatic, have been hospitalized but they are not on oxygen," a BMC statement said.

Out of the total 153 people with the Omicron infection in the city, only 12 had international travel history, the civic body said.

Of 141 Mumbai residents with Omicron, the highest 21 are from the K-west ward which includes Andheri West, Juhu, and Versova, followed by the D ward that includes Malabar Hill, Mahalaxmi, and Tardeo areas.

Mumbai and other cities have imposed fresh curbs to prevent mass gatherings at new year's parties and public venues to combat a spike in COVID-19 infections. Night curfews have been imposed in all major cities and restaurants ordered to limit customers.

Mumbai Police have prohibited public gatherings of five or more residents until Jan 15 as it recorded a sharp jump in cases, the highest daily increase since May.