Mumbai: Maharashtra reported 198 cases of the Omicron variant on Thursday, of which 190 were from Mumbai, followed by four in Thane and one each in Satara, Nanded, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, as per the report of the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The variant has been found in almost 37.5 per cent of random samples taken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for whole-genome sequencing.
However, one non-Covid death of a patient infected with Omicron has also been reported in Pimpri-Chinchwad, as per the NIV report.
Health officials from the state health department said a 52-year-old man with a travel history to Nigeria died of a heart attack in Pimpri-Chinchwad on December 28. The death of the patient was due to non-Covid reasons.
“The death of this patient was due to non-Covid reasons. Coincidentally, today’s National Institute of Virology report reveals that he was infected with Omicron. The patient had been admitted to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s Yashwantrao Chavan Hospital. He also had diabetes for the last 13 years,” he said.
The civic body had collected 375 samples between December 21 and 22 for genome sequencing, of which 141 samples have been infected with the Omicron variant. However, none of these cases had any history of travel. “As per the genome report, it clearly shows that the Omicron has spread in the community, but it will be early to say it is community transmission until we get all the details,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani.
Kakani further said that of the 141 Omicron-positive, 93 were fully vaccinated and three had taken one dose. Seven had moderate symptoms, 39 were mildly symptomatic, and 95 were asymptomatic and only seven cases are hospitalised and were moderately symptomatic but not on oxygen.
The total number of Omicron cases in Maharashtra has increased to 450, of which 327 are from Mumbai, followed by 26 in Pimpri-Chinchwad, 30 in Pune, 12 in Thane, seven each in Navi Mumbai, Panvel and Kalyan-Dombivli, six each in Nagpur and Satara, five in Osmanabad, three each in Vasai-Virar and Nanded, two each in Aurangabad, Buldana, Bhiwandi-Nizampur and one each in Latur, Ahmednagar, Akola, Mira-Bhayandar and Kolhapur.
Dr Pradeep Vyas, additional chief secretary (health), said these cases did not necessarily confirm that Omicron was circulating in the community. “The government of India is doing community surveillance nationally. Mumbai and Pune have been selected, and all positive samples will be sent for sequencing,” he said.
