Two more test positive for Omicron in Gujarat, India's tally up to 32

The cases have been identified as the wife and brother-in-law of the Zimbabwe-returnee who marked the first Omicron infection in Gujarat. The omicron count across India has now risen to 32.

Ahmedabad:Two new cases belonging to the Omicron variant of COVID 19 have been reported in Gujarat. The new cases are related to the first infection.

The two new infections have turned out to the wife and brother-in-law of the Zimbabwe-returnee who was found COVID positive in Jamnagar on December 4.

The returnee tested COVID positive directly after his arrival from 'at risk' Zimbabwe, and afterwards the presence of the Omicron variant, as well, was confirmed in his system.

The two new cases, on the other hand, were pinpointed by the local system, which conducted tracking and testing of a total of 90 people who had come in contact with the man since his arrival in Gujarat.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Jamnagar Police Commissioner Vijay Kharadi noted that samples of both the wife and the brother-in-law were sent for testing in the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) located in Gandhinagar as soon as the 72-year-old's result turned out to be positive.

Using genome sequencing, scientists decode genes in the SARS-CoV-2 virus and determine which variant of COVID is present in a given sample.

The Jamnagar Municipal Corporation has declared the area, where the family of the NRI returnee resides, a micro-containment zone.

Putting up barricades, it has also restricted public movement in the area.

After the new additions, total number of Omicron infections in Gujarat has risen to three.

Meanwhile, seven new Omicron cases were identified in Maharashtra on Friday, as per news agency ANI. This pushed the countrywide total count to 32.