Maharashtra on Tuesday did not report any case of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus. "There are no new cases of Omicron variant today in the state. As of today state has total 10 cases of this variant," the Public Health Department said in a release.
On Monday, a 37-year-old man, who landed in Mumbai from Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 25, and his 36-year-old woman friend, who arrived in the city from the US on the same day, have tested positive for the Omicron variant. Both of them were residing in Mumbai's Western suburbs.
With the two cases, Maharashtra's Omicron tally jumped to ten, with three cases in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, six in Pimpri-Chinchwad, and one in Pune.
Meanwhile, nearly 30,000 travelers have been screened for COVID-19 at several airports in Maharashtra, where 10 people have tested positive for Omicron, State's Health Surveillance Officer said on Tuesday.
While talking to news agency ANI, Dr Pradeep Awate, State's Health Surveillance Officer said that the tally of Omicron cases in Maharashtra now stands at 10.
The new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25.
As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year.
On November 26, the WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as 'Omicron'. The WHO has classified Omicron as a 'variant of concern'.
(With ANI inputs)
