NEW DELHI: A top Health Ministry official stated on Friday that 25 cases of the novel Covid variant Omicron had been found so far in India, across five states.

Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal, speaking at a press briefing on the Omicron outbreak in India, stated the 25 cases were discovered across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Delhi, and that all of the patients had moderate symptoms.

He claimed that up until November 24, just two nations had reported Omicron instances, but that now 59 countries had reported a total of 2,936 Omicron cases. Agarwal further mentioned that genome sequencing is being done in 78,054 possible cases to find the variant.

Balram Bhargava, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research, said: "Regular meetings are held to keep track of the global situation and the Covid scene in India, with a focus on Omicron. Where the positive rate exceeds 5 percent, district-level restrictions will be enforced." Regarding the Covid scenario in the country, Agarwal stated that the total Covid positivity rate in the country is 0.73 percent, with daily Covid caseloads trending below 10,000 for the past 14 days.

According to the ministry, the two states with the most active Covid cases are Kerala and Maharashtra. Kerala accounts for more than 43 percent of ongoing cases, while Maharashtra accounts for more than 10 percent. In total, 19 districts in India have a Covid positivity rate of 5 to 10 percent, with 8 districts having a Covid positivity rate of over 10 percent.

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