Omicron Cases Rise To 61 In Odisha With 24 New Positives

Odisha on Wednesday reported 24 more cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, taking the tally to 61. Of the new Omicron cases, 5 positives have been linked to foreign travel history while 19 others are local contacts.

A total of 218 samples were sent to the Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar for genome sequencing. Of the samples, 24 were reportedly found infective with the Omicron variant of Covid-19, informed ILS to the State Health Department.

On January 2, 23 Omicron cases (19 male and 4 female in the age group of 8 to 83 years) were reported from the State. Of the total cases, 7 were from Keonjhar district, 4 from Khordha, 3 each from Puri and Sambalpur, 2 each from Boudh and Angul and 1 each from Jagatsinghpur and Balasore districts.

On the rising Omicron infection, Health Services Director Bijay Mohapatra had earlier said that 90 per cent cases were observed to be asymptomatic and getting cured in home isolation. "We are ensuring that our Rapid Response Team keeps a track of the cases and takes appropriate measures for immediate hospitalisation of the critical ones,” he said said.

Odisha had first reported two cases of Omicron cases on December 21, 2021. The infected duo had returned from Qatar and Nigeria, respectively.