Omicron: Maharashtra reports 85 new cases; tally reaches 252

Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 85 fresh cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the highest single-day tally recorded so far by any state in the country, taking the overall count to 252, the state health department said.

"Today, 85 cases of the Omicron variant have been reported in the state. Of these, 47 patients have been reported by the National Institute of Virology (NIV - (where samples were sent for genome sequencing) and 38 by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)," a health bulletin said.

The 38 Omicron cases reported by IISER are from community surveillance and as per preliminary information, they do not have history of any international travel, it said. Of the 47 patients reported by the Pune-based NIV, 43 are international travellers and four are close contacts, the bulletin added.