India has reported its third case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, government officials said, as total Covid-19 cases inched closer to the 35 million mark.

Officials in the western state of Gujarat said the patient who tested positive for Omicron was a 72-year old man of Indian origin who had lived in Zimbabwe for decades and returned on Nov] 28.

India reported 8,603 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total to 34.62 million. Deaths rose by 415 to 470,530, according to Reuters.