Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 31

Kerala’s Omicron cases count crossed the 100-mark on Friday after registering the highest single- day increase of 44 cases of the new variant of COVID-19.

Addressing reporters here, State Health Minister Veena George said it has logged 44 more cases, taking the total number to 107.

Of the 44 cases, 10 had come from high-risk countries and 27 from low-risk countries. Seven people were infected through contact, she said.

Of these, 12 were detected in Ernakulam district, 10 in Kollam, eight in Thiruvananthapuram, four in Thrissur, two each in Kottayam, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kannur and one each in Alappuzha and Idukki, the Minister said.

With this, the infections have been confirmed in a total of 107 people, she said.

While a total of 41 patients came from high-risk countries, 52 arrived from low-risk countries and 14 were diagnosed with the disease through contact.

Of the total 107 cases, 29 had come from the UAE and 23 from the UK.

Raising the alert in the southern State, George said since Omicron is a fast-spreading variant of COVID-19, people should take all precautions and follow guidelines issued by the Health Department.