2 cases of Omicron variant detected in Karnataka: Govt

"All primary contacts and secondary contacts of both the cases have been traced and are being tested," the health ministry's joint secretary Lav Agarwal told a news briefing. India was set to restart scheduled commercial international flights on Dec. 15, but on Wednesday scrapped that plan and said a resumption date would be announced in due course.

The government has advised states to ramp up testing, a week after the health ministry said a recent fall in testing could undermine India's efforts to contain the pandemic. After battling a record jump in infections and deaths in April and May, coronavirus cases have come down substantially in India, where the Delta variant is the dominant strain.

Also Read: Omicron in India: 6 points from Union Health Ministry's address

The country reported 9,765 new cases on Thursday, taking its total to 34.61 million. Only the United States has reported more.