A healthcare worker injects a dose of Bharat Biotech Ltd’s Covaxin vaccine. at the Covid-19 vaccination center set up at the Delhi City Public Health Center in the Daryagunj area of New Delhi, India, on Monday, June 21, 2021.
Sumit Dayal | Bloomberg | beautiful pictures
Covid-19 infections in India are on the rise again as several states grapple with a growing number of infections due to the omicron variant.
There were 37,379 new cases reported in a 24-hour period, Government data showed on Tuesday. That was the highest reported number since September and marked a jump from the 6,358 cases reported a week earlier on December 28.
The state of Maharashtra, home to India’s financial hub Mumbai, has so far detected 568 cases of the omicron variant while the capital territory Delhi has reported 382 cases. Together, they account for about half of the cases in India that are attributed to the new severe mutant strain.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Tuesday that he had tested positive for Covid and was experiencing “mild symptoms”. He said he was self-isolating at home and urged his close contacts to do the same and get tested.
Omicron was first identified by South African scientists in November. This variant has rapidly spread globally, with places like the United States and the United Kingdom reporting large increases.
