India reports its first Omicron death

NEW DELHI: India Wednesday confirmed the death of a man in Rajasthan as the first casualty due to the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

The samples of the 72-year-old man from Rajasthan's Udaipur showed the presence of the Omicron strain, joint secretary at Union health ministry Lav Agarwal said during a press conference in New Delhi.

"The government confirmed the death in Rajasthan has been counted as Omicron death in India. We can say this is the first death in India," Agarwal said.

As per government sources, the patient was diabetic for the past 17 years and it aggravated his situation. It was after his death that they found he was actually Omicron positive.

The man died in a Udaipur hospital on December 31.

Meanwhile, India’s Omicron tally on Wednesday rose to 2,135 cases.

India Today