India reports a total of 415 Omicron cases, 115 recovered

India has reported a total of 415 Omicron cases, the Health Ministry said this morning. At least 115 have recovered, it said.

Maharashtra has the highest number of Omicron infection with 108, followed by Delhi with 79. Gujarat has 43 cases and Telangana 38. Kerala has a total of 37 Omicron cases, followed by Tamil Nadu with 34. No state in the north-east has reported any Omicron case.

On Friday, the centre had said of 358 cases of Omicron reported till then, 183 were analysed and it was found that 91 of them were fully vaccinated with three having received booster doses while 70 per cent were asymptomatic.

The rise of the Omicron variant has also heralded another pandemic-tinged Christmas for billions across the world, with Santa’s arrival and longed-for family reunions overshadowed by the prospect of yet more COVID-19 restrictions.

Gatherings of five or more will not be allowed in Maharashtra between 9 pm and 6 am, the state government has said. Haryana and Delhi have also tightened restrictions this Christmas, though Delhi has allowed places of worship to remain open.

The country’s COVID-19 count rose to 3,47,79,815 with 7,189 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, while active cases have declined to 77,032, according to data updated at 8 am.