India's Omicron tally nears 1000 mark; maximum cases reported in Delhi & Maharashtra

Amid the growing concerns of an emergent 'third wave' in India, the nation's tally of Omicron variant of coronavirus reached 961 cases on Thursday. A massive spike, of about 180 fresh mutant infections, was recorded in the last 24 hours raising health concerns in the country. As per the latest reports, around 320 Omicron patients have been successfully discharged after recovery, which leaves the active tally somewhere around 641 cases in India.

Delhi, Maharashtra report highest Omicron spread

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The Omicron variant of coronavirus is deemed to be the most highly transmissible strain as yet. Reported first in South Africa, the 'Variant of Concern' has now found its feet across 22 states of India, with NCT of Delhi reporting the maximum number of 263 as yet. Following this tally closely is the state of Maharashtra with 252 cases, the Union Health Ministry announced on Thursday.

Gujarat is next in line with a share of 97 Omicron cases, followed by Rajasthan with 69 and Kerala with 65 cases. Besides, the threat has also captured around 62 patients in Telanagana, 45 in Tamil Nadu and 34 in Karnataka. Andhra Pradesh as reported 16 and West Bengal has 11 cases, added reports.

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The virulence of Omicron is limited to single-digit cases in the remaining district. Here, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have 9 cases each, while Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have 4 cases, individually. Following this is Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir with 3 cases each. Reportedly, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Manipur and Punjab are also included in the list of affected states with a single case each.

Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 tally saw a soaring surge in the last 24 hours, with as many as 13,154 new cases. During the same time frame, around 268 deaths logged in the country. The active tally now stands at 82,402 cases