A 33-year-old man from Maharashtra who travelled to Mumbai from South Africa via Dubai and Delhi late last month has tested positive for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, in the fourth such case confirmed in India.
The passenger is a resident of Kalyan-Dombivli municipal area and has not taken the Covid-19 vaccine. Twelve of the passenger’s high-risk contacts and 23 of the low-risk contacts have been traced and all have tested negative for Covid-19. Additionally, 25 of the co-passengers from the Delhi-Mumbai flight have also tested negative. More contacts are currently being traced.
In another case, a 72-year-old man returning from Zimbabwe to Gujarat’s Jamnagar tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Also Read: Another case of ‘Omicron’ came in India, the person had returned from Zimbabwe
Meanwhile, the Centre on Friday said it anticipates the severity of the new strain to be low in the country given the fast pace of vaccination and high exposure to the Delta variant. The government also said a decision on a Covid vaccine booster dose will be taken on the basis of scientific guidance from experts.
Studies are underway to evaluate Omicron’s transmissibility, severity, reinfection risk, immune escape potential, clinical presentation, response to other available countermeasures, etc. Preliminary evidence suggests higher transmissibility and potential immune escape that could lead to a surge in cases.
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