India’s Omicron tally reaches 145 on Sunday

Dec. 19: India’s Omicron Covid tally rose to 145 on Sunday. So far, omicron cases have been detected in 11 states and union territories with  Maharashtra accounting for 48 cases, Delhi for 22, Rajasthan for 17, and Karnataka for 14, etc. Three more cases of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus were reported in Gujarat on Sunday taking the total number in the state to 10. All three, including a teenager, have a history of international travel.

The Centre has warned it is likely that the spread of the new variant will outpace the Delta variant where there is community transmission. It has advised people to avoid non-essential travel and mass gatherings and keep New Year celebrations at low intensity. While the country’s first two cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Karnataka on December 2, this heavily mutated version of the coronavirus was first reported in South Africa on November 24.