Delhi reports first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant

Fifteen suspected patients of Omicron were admitted to the Delhi government's LNJP hospital on December 4. [Representative image]

Delhi has reported its first case of new COVID-19 Omicron variant on December 5, news agency ANI reported.

"First omicron case detected in Delhi. The patient admitted to the LNJP Hospital had returned from Tanzania. Till now, 17 people (who come from abroad) have tested positive for Covid and they have been admitted to the hospital," the report quoted Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain as saying.

This is the fifth case of Omicron in the country. The first two cases of Omicron were reported in Karnataka, while the third and the fourth case were reported from Gujarat's Jamnagar and Maharashtra's Dombivli respectively.

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Fifteen suspected patients of Omicron, who flew in the national capital from "at risk" countries, were admitted to the Delhi government's LNJP hospital on December 4. Of these, nine are confirmed coronavirus patients, while six have symptoms like sore throat, fever and history of contact with patients. Their samples have been sent for genome sequencing.

Earlier this week, the Delhi government had designated the LNJP hospital for treatment of patients infected with the new Omicron variant of coronavirus. According to the Centre, the countries designated as "at-risk" include the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel. According to the Centre, the countries designated as "at-risk" include the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.

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Travellers from these "at-risk" countries are following additional measures on arrival in India from Tuesday midnight. Under the new norms, RT-PCR tests are mandatory for passengers arriving from the "at-risk" countries and they will be allowed to leave the airport only after the results come. Under the new norms, RT-PCR tests are mandatory for passengers arriving from the "at-risk" countries and they will be allowed to leave the airport only after the results come. The WHO has classified Omicron as a 'variant of concern'.