81% virus samples in Delhi turn out to be Omicron, fresh daily cases surge to 4,000

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Eighty-one per cent of all COVID-19 samples tested in Delhi are of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the state's Health Minister said on Monday.</p>
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According to the health bulletin, the national capital has recorded around 4,000 new cases of coronavirus and the positivity rate has increased to 6.5 per cent, health minister Satyendra Jain said.</p>
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"As per genome sequencing reports of December 30-31 from three labs – at Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, Lok Nayak Hospital and National Centre for Disease Control – 81 per cent samples were infected with Omicron," Jain said in the Delhi assembly.</p>
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The city reported 3,194 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, 15 per cent higher than Saturday.</p>
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The Omicron variant has spread to 23 states in India. Maharashtra is the worst-affected state with 510 cases, followed by Delhi with 351 infections.</p>
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Jain said though there is a spike in cases in the national capital, the situation is under control as not many people are developing severe symptoms and so they do not require hospitalisation.</p>
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He said some experts have said the cases will peak in a week but it's only a conjecture as of now.</p>
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 Jain said there is no shortage of medical staff in state-run hospitals and clinics. COVID-19 cases have been rising in the city.</p>