7 more test positive for Omicron variant in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Dec 05: Seven more people have tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Maharashtra. Total 8 cases of Omicron reported in the state so far.

"Four persons who returned from foreign tours and three of their close contacts have tested positive for the new variant:," said Maharashtra health official.

They include a woman who came from Nigeria along with her two daughters to meet her brother in adjoining Pimpri Chinchwad area, the official said. Her brother and his two daughters have also tested positive for the variant, he added.

With seven new cases, the Omicron cases in India has reached to 12.

Another case is of a man from Pune who returned from Finland in the last week of last month.

A 66-year-old South African national, who arrived in Bengaluru and a 46-year-old doctor with no travel history, became the first two cases of Omicron to be detected in India. Followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Omicron, first detected in South Africa on November 25, has been described as a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization (WHO).