India's Omicron tally nears 1,000-mark; most cases reported in Delhi, Maharashtra

New Delhi, Dec 30: India has reported a total of 961 cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 to date, the union health ministry on Monday informed.

National capital Delhi accounts for the highest number of Omicron cases(263), followed by Maharashtra (252). The other Indian states that have reported Omicron cases are- Kerala (65); Gujarat (97); Rajasthan (69); Telangana (62); Tamil Nadu (45); Karnataka (34); Madhya Pradesh (9); Andhra Pradesh (16); West Bengal (11); Haryana (12); Odisha (9); Chandigarh (3); Jammu & Kashmir (3); Uttar Pradesh (2); Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand one each, respectively.'

The Indian SARS-COV-2 Genomics Consortia INSACOG, meanwhile, said there is now clear experimental and clinical data supporting a very high immune escape potential of Omicron, but initial estimates show the severity of illness being lower than what was seen in previous outbreaks.

In India, appropriate public health measures and investigations are being conducted for surveillance of Omicron, INSACOG said while noting that globally there appears to be significantly reduced ability of vaccines or prior infection to protect against symptomatic infection by the Omicron variant.

"While Delta continues to be the most prevalent VOC globally, the Omicron variant has completely displaced it in southern Africa and is on track to become the dominant variant in UK and elsewhere," the INSACOG said in its latest bulletin citing global data.