COVID-19: Omicron infections surge past 120 in India, Maharashtra reports highest cases

Amid the surge of Omicron cases across the world, the number of instances in India of the 'highly mutated' COVID-19 variant has jumped to 126 after new cases of Omicron were recorded in areas like Karnataka, Kerala, as well as Maharashtra. Omicron instances have already been confirmed in 11 states throughout the country, as per the Health Ministry report. Maharashtra has currently reported 43 infections, while Karnataka has reported 14 and Kerala 11. 

Apart from the above-mentioned states, Delhi has 22 cases, Rajasthan has 17, Telangana with 8, Gujarat has 7 and states like Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, as well as West Bengal have reported single cases of the highly transmissible strain. In India, the first two cases of Omicron were discovered in the state of Karnataka on December 2, one a South African national who had left the nation, the other a local resident, a doctor with no travel history. 

Further, On Saturday, the Health Minister of Karnataka Dr. K Sudhakar took Twitter to announce two COVID-19 cluster outbreaks, including five new instances of the Omicron strain, which had been confirmed from two educational institutions in the state's Dakshina Kannada district. As per media reports, two instances of the new COVID-19 strain have been reported in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, in individuals aged 17 and 44. A couple and their 13 years old daughter from Uganda were also tested positive with the Omicron strain in western Maharashtra. 

India to expect a third wave in early 2022?

In addition to this, members of the National COVID-19 Supermodel Committee said that the caseload in India is expected to grow even further, with the third wave of COVID-19 expected in early 2022. India has reported 7,145 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday. 

According to one of the Committee's chiefs, Vidyasagar, although India may see the third wave, yet, it would be milder than the second wave. He went on to say that now the instances are averaging roughly 7,500 each day and that number is expected to rise if Omicron begins to replace Delta as the main form. He also stated that the third wave is unlikely to witness more daily cases than the second wave because the Centre only began immunising common Indians on March 1, just around the period when the Delta variant hit the nation.  

Meanwhile, India has reported 8,706 recoveries in the previous 24 hours on Saturday. Active cases represent fewer than 1% of overall infections, according to data published by the Union Health Ministry, and are now at 0.24%, the lowest since March 2020. The COVID-19 recovery rate is now at 98.38%. To date, the country has given out 1,37,47,41,782 doses of COVID-19 vaccination as part of a statewide immunisation campaign. 

(Image: PTI/ Shutterstock)