Genome sequencing: 95 per cent were infected with Omicron in Mumbai

A health worker administers a dose of vaccine at BYL Nair Hospital on Monday. Pic/Ashish Raje

Results of genome sequencing of the latest batch of 190 samples showed that 94.74 per cent of patients were infected with the Omicron variant, up from 89 per cent in the previous cycle. Further, 23 of the 190 patients succumbed to the injection and 21 of them were infected with Omicron.

A total of 282 samples of Covid-infected patients were tested at Kasturba Hospital and National Institute of Virology at Pune. Of these, 190 patients are citizens of Mumbai. Of these patients, 180 patients were infected with Omicron, three with Delta, one with Delta derivative and six patients were infected with other variants. Further, 13 of the samples were from children aged below 18 years and 11 of them were infected with Omicron. All the patients were symptomatic.

Out of 190 samples collected, 23 patients died - 22 died within seven days of the onset of symptoms and one within seven days. Further, 13 were in the age group of 60 to 80 years and 8 were above 80 years of age. The report stated that 15 of the deceased had not received a single dose of vaccine. As per the report, 106 people had to be hospitalised. Of these patients, 51 hadn't taken any dose of vaccine, five had taken only the first dose and 50 took both the doses. Only nine of them required oxygen support and 11 patients needed intensive care.

Genome sequencing reports so far

August 2021: 68% Delta, 13% Kappa
September 2021: 81% Delta
October 2021: 88% Delta variant and derivatives
November 2021: 99% Delta variant and derivatives
December 2021: 99% Delta variant and derivatives
December 15, 2021: 97% Delta variant and derivatives, 2% Omicron
December 31, 2021: 55% Omicron, 45% Delta variant and derivatives
January 2022: 89% Omicron, 8% Delta derivatives
February 2022: 95% Omicron, 1.5% Delta variant, 3% others

190
No. of samples from city tested in the ninth batch