Omicron cases in India: What we know so far. 9-point guide

Representative image: Reuters

As the Omicron variant of coronavirus cases surge in the country, let's take a look at the recent developments in India.

1. India currently has 21 cases of Omicron — Rajasthan reported the most number of Omicron cases with nine, followed by eight in Maharashtra, two in Karnataka, and one each in Gujarat and the capital New Delhi.

2. Delhi govt issues show-cause notice to Etihad Airways for the alleged violation of guidelines for international arrivals issued by the Centre following the emergence of the Coronavirus variant Omicron, reads an official statement.

3. Equity indices spiralled lower on Monday as the spread of the Omicron variant in the country spooked investors and triggered an across-the-board sell-off. A plunging rupee and continued selling by foreign institutional investors added to the woes, traders said. Extending its losing streak for the second straight session, the 30-share BSE Sensex crashed 949.32 points or 1.65 per cent to close at 56,747.14, an over three-month low.

4. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday urged people not to panic in the wake of detection of Omicron variant of Covid in Delhi but asked them to follow social distancing and use face masks to ward off the disease. "Omicron has entered the country and its cases have been found at many places including Delhi. I want to appeal to the people not to panic and maintain social distancing and use face masks," he said.

5. The wife and brother-in-law of an NRI man, who had been found infected with the Omicron variant of Covid here in Gujarat, have tested positive for coronavirus and their samples have been sent for genome sequencing, officials said on Monday.

6. Madhya Pradesh — which shares its border with five states, and the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in three of them (Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat) — has increased the watch at the state's borders and is taking various precautionary measures in the wake of cases of the Omicron variant of Covid found in neighbouring states, MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra said on Monday.

7. Four members of a family, who recently returned from South Africa, and their five acquaintances have tested positive for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus here, officials said on Sunday. Genome sequencing has confirmed that the nine people have been infected with the new variant, Health Secretary Vaibhav Galriya said.

8. A 37-year-old fully vaccinated man who arrived in Delhi from Tanzania has tested positive for Omicron, making it the first case of the new Covid variant in the national capital, on Sunday. The patient, a resident of Ranchi, had travelled from Tanzania to Doha and from there to Delhi on a Qatar Airways flight on December 2. He stayed in Johannesburg, South Africa, for a week.

9. Seven people have tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Maharashtra raising the tally of the new variant in the country to 21. With the new infections, the tally of the new variant has reached 8 in Maharashtra and 21 in the country. While 6 new cases were reported from Pimpri Chinchwad, one case was registered in Pune. Of the six travellers in Pimpri Chinchwad, three were returnees from Nigeria. Three others were infected after coming in contact with the travellers returning from the African country.