India Reports More Omicron Cases, Expects ‘Low’ Severity

A health worker takes a swab sample from a woman for a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a health centre in New Delhi, India, on June 10, 2021. Prakash Singh/AFP via Getty Images

The Omicron variant is on the rise in India, with nine new cases reported in Rajasthan and seven more in Maharashtra, all of which had a travel history to high-risk countries or close contact with patients, but the government said it anticipates the severity of Omicron to be “low.”

India’s Omicron cases stood at 21 on Dec. 5.