India’s Omicron tally now stands at 33

New Delhi, Dec 11: The number of Omicron cases in India has gone up to 33. The latest is a traveller from Zimbabwe.

With the traveller from Delhi testing positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the number of cases in Delhi has gone up to 2.

Meanwhile the government has warned that India has entered the danger zone with mask usage in the country dropping to levels the pre-second wave. 33 cases of Omicron have been detected so far in the country.

14 persons detected with Omicron in India were fully vaccinated, data shows. "I would like to draw your attention to a reality check, on an assessment of the mask usage presently going on in our country.

This comes from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation which does these estimates for several countries. Just before the second surge, mask usage was at a low level. When the cases started to rise dramatically in May, we all responded, and everyone started to wear masks out of fear," Dr. V K Paul head of India's COVID-19 task force said according to an Indian Express report.

"In August, we saw a decline. And in December, we have again gone back to the same position. According to this estimate, it has in fact declined even further compared to the March levels. In a way, we have entered the danger zone. Technically speaking, from a protection capability point of view, we are now operating at a low level. This is an unacceptable level. It is a risky level," Dr. Paul also said.

"Before the second surge, we were at the same level of mask usage. Suddenly, the situation changed. It was collective complacency. It cost us a lot. We are again warning that time has still not come to discard mask usage. Both vaccines and masks are a must," he also added.