Pune: The total number of Omicron COVID-19 cases jumped to more than double at one go on Sunday after seven samples tested in Pune were found to be infected with the new variant which is spreading.
India’s Omicron tally thus stands at 12, with Maharashtra alone accounting for 8.
A 44-year old woman, who travelled from Nigeria to Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune, her two daughters, her brother and his two daughters tested positive, along with a 47-year old man who had travelled to Finland last month.
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The first two Omicron-positive cases were found in Bengaluru, while one person each from Mumbai, Gujarat and Delhi have contracted the new variant of coronavirus
The first case of B.1.1.529 infection was reported from South Africa on November 25, from a specimen collected on November 9. Soon after, the World Health Organization named this new strain ‘Omicron’ and classified it as a ‘variant of concern’.
