Four more cases of Omicron reported in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 15: Four more cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron have been confirmed in Kerala, state Health Minister Veena George said on Wednesday night. With this the total cases of the variant in Kerala has reached 5 and in India -- 73.

Speaking to reporters here, the minister said two of the four news cases were the wife and mother-in-law of the Ernakulam native who was the first person in Kerala to test positive for Omicron.

Of the remaining two, one was a Thiruvananthapuram native who had returned from the UK and the other was a Ernakulam native who had just come back from Congo, the minister said.

She said that contacts of all these persons were being identified and their flight details were being collected. She advised everyone to exercise caution.

So far, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases at 32, followed by Rajasthan at 17. Omicron cases have also been reported in Karnataka (3), Gujarat (4), Telangana (2), West Bengal (1), Andhra Pradesh (1), Tamil Nadu (1) and Union Territories of Delhi (6) and Chandigarh (1).

The Omicron variant was first detected in India in Bengaluru with two people testing positive for it comprising a South African national of Indian origin and a doctor.