Delhi logs 10 new cases of Omicron, total reaches 20

Ten new cases of the new Covid variant Omicron have been detected in the national capital, taking the tally to 20, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday (December 17).

Ten of these patients have been discharged, he said.

The minister said 10 out of the 40 samples sent for genome sequencing tested positive for the new variant.

On Tuesday, he had said the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has not spread in the community so far and the situation is under control.

Delhi's first case of the Omicron variant -- a 37-year-old man from Ranchi -- was detected on December 5. He was discharged on Monday. He had travelled from Tanzania to Doha and from there, to Delhi on a Qatar Airways flight on December 2. He stayed in Johannesburg in South Africa for a week and had mild symptoms.

Meanwhile, 40 people are currently admitted to the special facility at the Lok Nayak Hospital meant for isolating and treating suspected Omicron cases, Medical Director Suresh Kumar said.

Under new norms, RT-PCR tests are mandatory for the passengers arriving from the "at-risk" countries and they are allowed to leave the airport only after the results come. Also, two per cent of the passengers arriving on flights from other countries are being tested randomly.

(With PTI inputs)