74-year-old man who died in the western state of Rajasthan was India’s first death with the Omicron variant.
According to the health ministry, the man had been suffering from diabetes and other comorbid conditions.
India has reported 2,630 Omicron cases so far.
It reported more than 90,000 cases on Thursday – a nearly six-fold rise in over the past week that experts say is fuelled by the Omicron variant.
India recorded 325 deaths in the 24 hours but only one has been linked to Omicron, officials said.