As the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is fuelling infections around the world, India’s tally of the new, highly infectious strain has crossed the 350-mark.

As of Thursday night, the country reported as many as 354 cases of the Omicron variant, according to data collated from across the states by Hindustan Times. However, most of the patients either had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic.

Going by this statistic, India reported more than 100 cases of the Omicron variant in a span of 24 hours, as the Union ministry of health and family welfare said in its last update a day prior that the nationwide tally was 238.

Driving the Omicron surge in India are Delhi and Maharashtra as both these regions collectively lead the tally with regards to the new variant of SARS-CoV-2, which is said to also be capable of undergoing frequent and an unusually large number of mutations.

While Delhi did not register any fresh cases of the new variant on Thursday, Maharashtra reported 23 new infections, of which five were in Mumbai. This pushed Maharashtra’s Omicron tally to 88.

Delhi has so far reported at least 64 infections of the new ‘variant of concern’; most of them, however, have not shown any symptoms and have been discharged after testing negative for the virus.

Throughout Thursday, several other states continued to record Omicron infections. Two cases were reported in Odisha, seven reported in Gujarat, 12 in Karnataka, 33 in Tamil Nadu, and more.

In the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting over the gradual rise in Omicron variant cases. The Prime Minister directed officials to send special teams to states with low rates of vaccination, a growing number of cases, and inadequate health infrastructure to review and improve preparations for any resurgence in Covid-19 outbreaks.

PM Modi also directed officials to maintain a high level of vigil and alertness at all levels and said the central government should work in close coordination with states to support their efforts of public health measures of containment and management under a “whole of government” approach.

“In view of the new variant, we should be Satark and Saavdhan,” said the Prime Minister, while also stressing the need for people to adhere to Covid-safe behaviour.

The Omicron variant has got medical experts and public health professionals across the world concerned over aspects such as its transmissibility, immune system evasion, and vaccine resistance, despite initial reports indicating that the variant causes a less severe disease than previous strains.

Aggravating the concerns is the approaching Christmas and holiday season when footfall is likely to go up, raising fears of public spots turning into Covid-19 hotspots.

Experts have already warned that the late November to early January period—the holidays— will be an especially crucial time for this new phase of the coronavirus pandemic driven by Omicron, and any unwary activity during the festive season might lead to a revamped wave of the infectious disease.