Jalna (Maharashtra), Amid the looming threats of the Covid-19 variant Omicron, the Maharashtra government has sent 28 samples for genome sequencing, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Friday.

Of these, 16 samples are being tested at the Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai and the rest by the National Institute of Virology, Pune.

The 28 cases, including 25 international arrivals since November 1 from the "high-risk countries" and three of their contacts, were found during surveillance at the airport and in field surveys, involving more than 860 persons in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region areas.

However, so far there has not been a single case of Omicron reported yet in the state which remains on high alert on all fronts.

"There is no cause for worry. We have to take all the Covid-19 precautions, including full vaccination, wearing masks, hygiene, etc," Tope assured.