Omicron Coronavirus News Live Updates: Telangana reports 12 new Omicron cases, tally rises to 20

Omicron Coronavirus News Live Updates: In a big jump in Omicron cases, Telangana on Saturday reported 12 new infections, taking the state's tally to 20, a top health official said.

Ten of the new cases were reported among passengers who returned from other than 'at risk' countries, while two travellers from 'at risk' nations also tested positive for the new variant of coronavirus.

According to the director of public health, G. Srinivasa Rao, out of the 12 Omicron positive cases reported on Saturday, nine are of foreign origin and three are of Indian origin. Six of them had come from Kenya, two each from Somalia and the UAE, and one each from Ghana and Tanzania.

The Omicron coronavirus variant has been reported in 89 countries and the number of cases is doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.

Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity, but it is unclear if this is due to the virus' ability to evade immunity, its inherent increased transmissibility or a combination of both, the WHO said in an update.

The agency designated Omicron a variant of concern on Nov. 26, soon after it was first detected, and much is still not known about it, including the severity of the illness it causes.

"There are still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron," the WHO said. "More data are needed to understand the severity profile and how severity is impacted by vaccination and pre-existing immunity."

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