India's tally of reported cases of the heavily mutated omicron variant of the coronavirus rose to 12 on Sunday after the state of Maharashtra said it had detected seven new cases.
Local media also said a new case had been reported in New Delhi.
India expects omicron, which scientists say appears to be the most contagious variant so far, to be less damaging than the currently dominant delta, which caused a devastating wave of infections in March and April, reports Reuters.
More than 70 per cent of the population are believed to have been infected with previous variants and this, along with vaccinations, is likely to have increased immunity levels.
