Bhubaneswar, Jan 3: Out of the total number of Covid Omicron cases that were detected, 19 cases are asymptomatic, the Director of Odisha Health Services Bijay Mohapatra informed on Monday.

As the Omicron cases are being identified locally, so more transmission is likely. Although the variant is highly contagious, however, the severity is low, said Health Director.

Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner has said that Omicron-infected patients have been kept in special wards in hospitals. The contacts of two cases in Bhubaneswar are being tracked.

The arrangements will be made for vaccination in the afternoon beyond the 8 am-1 pm slot depending on the crowd. The target has been set to vaccinate 70,000 kids in the 15-18 yr age group, added BMC Additional Commissioner.

Worth mentioning, 23 Omicron positives have been detected in Odisha on January 2, 2022. So far the number of Omicron cases in the state has risen to 37.

Of them, 7 were from Keonjhar, 4 from Khurda, 2 from Boudh, 1 from Jagatsinghpur and Balasore each, 3 from Sambalpur, and Puri each, 2 from Angul. The 23 Omicron case includes 19 males and 4 females of the 8-83 age group.