Maharashtra reports 11 new Omicron cases, tally reaches 65

MUMBAI, (PTI): Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 11 new infections of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, taking the tally of such cases in the state to 65, the health department said here.

“As reported by the National Institute of Virology, 11 more patients have been found to be infected by Omicron,” it said in a release.

Eight cases came to light following screening at the Mumbai airport while one case each was found at Pimpri-Chinchwad, Osmanabad and Navi Mumbai, the release added.

Of the eight cases detected in Mumbai, one each is from Kerala, Gujarat and neighbouring Thane district, while other patients are residents of Mumbai itself.

Two of these patients had arrived from Uganda (via Dubai), four from the UK and two from Dubai. Two of them are minor.

Barring the two under-18 patients, others are vaccinated, and all eight are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, the health department added.

The 13-year-old daughter of an Omicron-infected patient from Osmanabad in central Maharashtra was also found to be infected by the new variant. She has no symptoms, the release said. Elsewhere, a 19-year-old man from Navi Mumbai who had arrived from Kenya via Hyderabad tested positive for Omicron. He is fully vaccinated and has no symptoms, officials said. (PTI)