Chennai: The number of Omicron coronavirus infections in Tamil Nadu increased to 34 on Thursday, December 23,  with those who were asymptomatic "doing well" with symptoms including giddiness and sore throat, according to the state government.

The infected included contacts of the state's first case, an air traveller who travelled here from Nigeria via Doha, according to Ma Subramanian, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare.

He informed reporters in Chennai that the samples of those afflicted with S-gene drop, a probable indicator of Omicron infection, had been given to the Centre previously, and 33 of them had been confirmed for the current variant of the virus. "All 34 (including the initial case) are asymptomatic, with giddiness and a sore throat, but they're doing fine," he said. He said that the suspected cases had been under surveillance for some time and that some of them could shortly test negative for the virus and be released.

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