Fear Of Community Spread: 46% Of New COVID Cases In Delhi Are Of Omicron Variant

New Delhi: Delhi has surpassed Maharashtra as India’s Omicron ‘hotspot’ with the number of cases doubling in a day to reach 263.

There is cause for concern as Delhi Health minister Satyendar Jain informed on Thursday that 46% of the COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours are of the Omicron variant as per genome sequencing report.

Delhi fears that community spread of Omicron is starting as more and more people with no travel history have been infected by the new variant of coronavirus.

“Of the 200 admitted patients in Delhi, 115 patients including international travellers, do not have any symptoms and have been kept in hospitals as a precautionary measure,” the minister said.

However, none of the Omicron patients has needed oxygen support till now.

Acording to genome analysis done by a leading hospital, the steep spike in COVID infections in Delhi over the last seven days is due to the fast-spreading Omicron.

The Delhi government has imposed a night curfew, from 10 pm to 5 am. A ‘yellow alert’ has also been implemented, which mandates restaurants and bars to operate with 50% capacity till 10 pm.

Schools, colleges, educational institutions, cinemas and gymnasiums have been closed.