Maharashtra reports seven new Omicron cases

A BMC health worker tests a passenger at Dadar station, on Sunday. Pic/Ashish Raje

The state health department on Sunday confirmed seven more cases of Omicron, the new, more infectious strain of the novel Coronavirus. Of the seven patients, one is from Pune and six are in Pimpri Chinchwad municipal area, including three visitors from Nigeria. Four of them are adults and fully vaccinated.

Three out of six cases in Pimpri Chinchwad have come from Nigeria and the rest are their close contacts, said the health department.

"A 44-year-old Nigerian citizen of Indian origin and her daughters, 12 and 18 years old, came on November 24 to meet her brother at Pimpri-Chinchwad. They all have been found to be infected with the Omicron variant," said an official.

He said 13 contacts of the three visitors were traced and tested. "Her brother, 45, and his daughters, 7 and 1.5 years old, have also tested positive," the official added.

While the Nigerian woman has mild symptoms, the other five have none. The three adults are fully vaccinated - two with Covishield and one with Covaxin. They have all been admitted at Jijamata Hospital and are stable.

The Pune patient, a 47-year-old fully vaccinated man, was identified through routine surveillance. He visited Finland from November 18 to 25. Upon his return, he developed mild fever, and got himself tested for Covid-19 on November 29. His report came back positive. He is now stable and has no symptoms.