According to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP), where these patients are hospitalised, all four new Omicron cases reported in the national capital Delhi are asymptomatic. Two of the four patients infected with the Omicron type of the coronavirus came from the United Kingdom, while the other two were their close contacts, according to Dr Suresh Kumar, the hospital’s MD.
The hospital statement comes a day after Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain informed that Omicron was detected in four new patients in the national capital who had tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), thus taking the total Omicron tally in the Union territory to six.
The LNJP hospital, where all the patients are being treated, provided details of the Omicron cases late at night on Tuesday. According to Dr Kumar, one of the six patients discharged earlier in the day had come from Zimbabwe on December 2 and reported mild symptoms like slight throat discomfort and weakness. “But he returned completely healthy after 10 days,” he noted. “Omicron patients have mild symptoms, stable oxygen rates, and no need for the ICU.”
Of the 38 total Covid-19 patients currently admitted at the hospital, two or three more shall be discharged within Wednesday, he said, adding that the medical facility currently has 50 dedicated Covid beds in view of the new variant of the virus but that number can be increased if need be.
Omicron, the new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus said to be highly infectious and capable of undergoing frequent mutations, was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on November 25 this year. As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9.
On November 26, the WHO named the new B.1.1.529 strain as ‘Omicron’, also classifying it as a ‘variant of concern’.
