Omicron updates: 17 more cases detected in India, total tally at 21

India reported seventeen cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 on Sunday, taking the total to 21 as states and cities stepped up testing travelers and enforcing safety measures.

Seven in Maharashtra, nine in Jaipur and a man in Delhi were found positive with the the potentially more contagious variant which has sparked a fresh alert across the world.

Most of those who tested positive either recently arrived from African countries or were in contact with such people.

Several contacts of the new cases are under surveillance and have been isolated, said officials.

A woman and her two daughters who travelled from Nigeria, her brother and his two daughters in Pimpri Chinchwad - a township near Pune - and one male who travelled from Finland have tested positive for the new variant in Maharashtra.

With seven new cases, the Omicron cases in Maharashtra have risen to 8.

The nine patients in Jaipur are from the same family and have recently returned from South Africa.

A 37-year-old man who arrived in Delhi from Tanzania tested positive for the Omicron variant earlier today.

A case in Rajasthan and more cases in Delhi have also been reported, said officials. The respective state governments will release the details on the same.

The country reported the first two cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 on Thursday in Karnataka - a 66-year-old South African flyer and a 46-year-old Bengaluru doctor with no travel history. Both men are fully vaccinated.

Omicron, first detected in South Africa on November 25, has been described as a "variant of concern" by the WHO.

International airports across India are intensively screening and testing all passengers from 'at-risk' countries. In line with central guidelines, all passengers from such countries have to take RT-PCR tests on arrival. The test result has to be negative in order to leave the airport.

The list of countries deemed "at-risk" for now includes the United Kingdom, all 44 countries in Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Israel.

Researchers are still checking if Omicron is more lethal and if current vaccines offer protection.