According to a latest report revealed by the State Health department, 19 cases of BA.4 and BA.5 variants and 17 cases of BA. 2.75 variants of Omicron were recorded in Maharashtra on Sunday, July 17.
Of the total 19 cases, one was detected with the BA.4 variant and 18 with the BA.5 variant.
This reports came from the samples sent for genome sequencing at B J Medical College, Pune. With this, the tally of BA.4 and BA.5 patients has risen to 132 and that of BA.275 patients to 57 in the state.
Moreover, it has come to light that all the patients are from Pune. All these samples, tested at the INSACOG labs in Pune and Mumbai, were from the period between June 25 and July 4. Detailed epidemiological investigation of these cases is currently underway.
District-wise, BA.4 and BA.5 cases include 84 from Pune, 33 from Mumbai, four each from Nagpur and Palghar and three from Raigad. Of the 57 BA.2.75 variant cases, 37 are from Pune, 14 from Nagpur, four from Akola and one each from Thane and Yavatmal.
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that the state has seen a slight drop in the daily caseload as on Sunday, 2,186 new cases, including three deaths, were reported. Whereas On Saturday, July 16, the state had reported 2,382 cases and eight fatalities. Moreover, of the three deaths, two were from Mumbai and one from Chandrapur district.
Besides, in a worrying news, on the same day, at least 38 students of a private school in Nagpur city in Maharashtra have tested positive for coronavirus. Owing to this, Nagpur district reported 262 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 100 infections from the city.
Amid the fear of a new wave, the public health department has stepped up surveillance and will focus on ramping up the precautionary vaccination dose drive; booster shots will be administered free of cost for 75 days, starting from July 15.
The state cabinet, at its next meeting, will review the district-wise status and approve additional measures to curb the spread of these variants.
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