Omicron cases only travel-related, no clinically meaningful cluster suggesting domestic transmission so far: Expert

🔴In all, the country has reported 21 Omicron cases — nine from Rajasthan, eight from Maharashtra, two from Karnataka and one each from Gujarat and Delhi.

Written by Anuradha Mascarenhas

Pune | Updated: December 7, 2021 07:29 AM IST

3 min read

Crowds and long queues were seen at the Indira Gandhi International Airport earlier this week, when the new testing guidelines were introduced for passengers from ‘at risk’ countries, in the wake of concerns over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. (Express photo)

Cases of Omicron variant detected across the country so far have been travel-related, sporadic ones and there is no clinically meaningful cluster to suggest domestic transmission yet, Dr Shashank Joshi, expert member of the Maharashtra Covid-19 task force, has said.

Maharashtra has reported 10 cases so far, seven from Pune and three from Mumbai. In all, the country has reported 21 Omicron cases — nine from Rajasthan, eight from Maharashtra, two from Karnataka and one each from Gujarat and Delhi.

Dr Joshi said that “mild symptoms reported by African doctors needed long-term validation for at least three to six months” to substantiate the findings.

State surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate also said the sample size was too small to draw any inference. “We need to wait at least a couple of weeks before understanding the dynamics — be it that of transmission, severity of symptoms or immune escape,” he added.

Dr Joshi said there has been a variance in the clinical symptoms of the Omicron strain vis a vis the ancestral and Delta ones. “For instance, the patients have not reported lack of smell or taste. However, still we do not know the extent of moderate disease and hence will have to wait for at least three months before making a clinically meaningful conclusion,” he added.

Several experts, including Dr Joshi, have urged the citizens not to engage in “wild speculations” and allow correct evidence to emerge. “The virus, if at all, is numerical in the country. These are travel-related, sporadic cases and import-related contacts. There is no need to panic,” Dr Joshi said. “So far, clinical outcomes as per reports from South Africa show that it is mild and there is no major cause of concern,” he added.

“Data on transmissibility has also not proven beyond reasonable doubt that the variant spreads faster than Delta, Dr Joshi said. “These are isolated anecdotal cases. We need to identify micro clusters,” the expert said, adding that the approach has been tight and includes strict screening of inbound travelers, ensuring adherence to Covid protocols, and vaccination.

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In Pune, the first person to have been detected with the Omicron variant is a 47-year-old man who had returned from Finland. Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant medical officer, Pune Municipal Corporation, said that all 35 contacts of the patient have tested negative. As per guidelines, the patient has been shifted to Naidu hospital and will be kept under observation, he added.

In Pimpri-Chinchwad, medical officer Dr Laxman Gophane said that barring the 44-year-old woman who has a cough, none of the five other patients had symptoms. They are all in institutional quarantine and will be tested for Covid on the eighth day. Ten more samples have been sent for genome sequencing and reports are awaited, he said.

When contacted, Dr Dhananjay Kelkar, medical director of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, said that the hospital had the lowest number of cases (16) of Covid infection in a long time on Monday. “There is a need, however, to ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour,” he added.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. ``Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) "Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. ``At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure "For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. ``Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions X (Twitter): @runaanu ... Read More

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