In Mumbai, Omicron found in 95 pc of samples in latest genome sequencing

Mumbai: Around 95 percent of swab samples examined in the latest round of genome sequencing in Mumbai were found infected with the Omicron variant that triggered the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in late December and which has now ebbed in the metropolis, the city civic body said on Monday.

Out of the total 190 samples, 180 (94.74 percent) were found infected with Omicron, three with the Delta variant (1.58 percent), one with Delta (0.53 percent) and six with other strains of coronavirus (3.16 percent), a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) release said, citing test results of the ninth round of genome sequencing in the city.

Significantly, out of the 190 patients from Mumbai whose swab samples were sent for genome sequencing, 23 have died and 21 of them were infected with Omicron, the release said.

In the last round of genome sequencing carried out in December-end, of the 280 samples collected from BMC’s jurisdiction, 248 had tested positive for Omicron, while the remaining had other variants of coronavirus.

According to the release, in the ninth round of genome sequencing, the civic body had examined 282 samples. Out of these, 190 samples were from Mumbai and the remaining from other parts of Maharashtra.

The BMC said out of the 190 patients, 74 patients (39 percent) were in the 61 to 80 years age group followed by 41 patients (22 percent) in 41 to 60 years, 36 (19 percent) in 21 to 40 years, 22 patients (12 percent) in 81 to 100 years and 17 patients ( 9 percent) in 0 to 18 age groups.

Of the 190 infected patients, 13 were aged less than 18 years. Of these, 11 were infected with Omicron, as per the release.

The BMC said 106 of the 190 patients needed hospitalization. Of these, five had taken only the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 50 had taken both doses, while 51 had not taken any dose.

Of these 106 patients, only nine required oxygen support, while 11 were admitted in ICU, the civic body said.

Of the 23 deaths, 21 patients were over 60 years of age and suffering from co-morbidities. Fifteen of them had not taken any dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Also, 22 patients died within seven days of developing symptoms, the release said.

In the release, the civic body appealed to citizens to continue following COVID-19-appropriate behavior despite a huge drop in daily cases.

Genome sequencing is a scientific process that helps in understanding the difference between two variants of the same virus. It makes it easier to determine the exact line of treatment for infected patients.

Mumbai reported 192 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest daily count since December 13, 2021, and two fresh fatalities linked to the infection, while 350 more patients were discharged following recovery, the BMC said.