While the Omicron variant detected in South Africa has raised alarms across the world, India has continued to maintain the downward trend of cases, India has reported 8,309 new cases, 236 deaths and 9,905 recoveries in the last 24 hours,
The active caseload in the country is at 1,03,859 which is the lowest in 544 days, said the ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Along with the central government, state governments are also actively discussing the measures which need to be taken to protect India from the new Omicron variant. However, the variant scare in India has increased as a man who returned from South Africa to Dombivali in Thane district of Maharashtra recently has tested positive for coronavirus, a Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) official said on Sunday.
It is not confirmed whether the patient was carrying the Omicron variant of coronavirus, which was identified as the variant of concern by the WHO, the official said.
The man had travelled from Cape Town to Dombivali on November 24.
“He underwent a COVID-19 test which returned positive,” the official added.
The man didn’t come in contact with anyone after returning from South Africa, Dr Pratiba Panpatil, Medical Officer, KDMC, told reporters.