'54% new cases Omicron, spreading in community'

New Delhi: Omicron is gradually spreading in the community and the new, fast-spreading variant of concern has been found in 54 per cent of the latest samples analysed in Delhi, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Thursday even as authorities, overwhelmed with the number of Omicron cases have decided not to genome sequence all positive Covid cases

Jain said stringent curbs have been put in place as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to check the spread of COVID-19 and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority will decide on implementing more restrictions.

However, a statement from Jain's office said, "According to GRAP, a Yellow alert has been issued in Delhi. For the time being, the government has decided not to issue a Level 2 alert. Alerts will be issued according to GRAP in Delhi."

"Indeed, the variant is gradually spreading in the community and its proportion will increase in the coming days," Jain said when asked if Omicron will be the dominant variant in an imminent third wave of the pandemic. He also said of the 200 coronavirus cases in Delhi hospitals, only 102 belong to the city. Also, 115 patients are those who were directly taken to hospitals from the airport.

Of the hospitalised Covid patients in Delhi, 115 do not have any symptoms and have been kept in hospitals as a precautionary measure. None of the hospitalised patients is on oxygen support, Jain said.

As a result, officials closely monitoring developments have said that the Delhi government is now considering isolating asymptomatic and mild cases of Omicron at their respective homes. Also, the government will send only up to 5 per cent of the total samples for genome sequencing in light of the

limited sequencing capacity

in Delhi.

"We have seen that most Omicron patients do not require hospitalisation… they are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms," a senior government official said.