New Delhi: The number of cases of Covid’s fast-spreading strain Omicron has crossed the 200-mark in India, the Union Health Ministry said today.
Out of them, 77 patients have recovered or migrated, the ministry added. Omicron cases have so far been reported in 12 States and Union Territories across the country.
Maharashtra and Delhi have reported the highest number of cases of the new variant — 54. They are followed by Telangana (20 cases), Karnataka (19), Rajasthan (18), Kerala (15) and Gujarat (14).
So far, most of the Omicron patients in the country have been asymptomatic or showed mild symptoms, health officials said.
On Monday, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Rajya Sabha the country is prepared to deal with the new onslaught of Omicron. ‘The country’s vaccine manufacturing capacity will be increased to 45 crore doses per month in the next two months,’ he said.
The Omicron strain of Covid, known to be highly transmissible, has set off alarm bells and stoked grim memories of the devastating second wave of the pandemic that had brought the country’s health infrastructure on its knees.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged people not to panic and assured that the government had made adequate arrangements to tackle a surge in cases. Pointing out that many were not masking up and had dropped their guard following a drop in cases, he urged residents to keep following Covid norms