Omicron Variant Cases in India: The Omicron Covid variant has been found to be highly infectious.
Highlights
- India has reported 26 cases of the Omicron variant in total
- None of the patients have reported severe symptoms
- Omicron cases account for less than 0.04% of total variants detected
New Delhi:
India has reported 26 cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 but none of the patients have reported severe symptoms, the government said on Friday, amid global alarm over the new strain of the coronavirus.
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“Overall 25 Omicron cases have been detected in the country so far. All cases have mild symptoms. Omicron cases account for less than 0.04 per cent of total variants detected,” Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary at the Union Health Ministry said at a briefing.
Moments later, another case was confirmed in Mumbai’s Dharavi area by the Maharashtra government. The patient is a 49-year-old man who returned from Tanzania on December 4th. He had not taken any taken any vaccine but has been asymptomatic, the government said.
Since December 1st, 93 international passengers have tested positive for COVID-19. Of these, 83 are from countries that have been designated “at-risk” given the Omicron breakout and 13 from other countries, Lav Agarwal said, adding that 59 countries have reported Omicron cases so far.
“Two countries had reported Omicron cases till November 24th. Now, 59 countries have reported cases of Omicron. These 59 countries have reported 2,936 Omicron cases. Besides this, 78,054 probable cases have also been detected – their genome sequencing is underway,” the official said.
The government also issued a warning about declining mask usage and safety norms. “WHO is warning against the decline in mask usage. Global scene of Omicron is disturbing… We are now operating at a risky and unacceptable level. We have to remember that both vaccines and masks are important,” Dr VK Paul, the NITI Aayog member for Health said.
The government said the treatment protocol for the Omicron variant remained the same.
It added that although Omicron was not yet a burden on the healthcare system, a strict vigil had to be maintained.
The Health Ministry said the overall positivity rate in the country was at 0.73 per cent in last week. Less than 10,000 cases have been reported in the in last 14 days.
Active cases are highest in two states – Kerala and Maharashtra with over 43 per cent active cases in the former and over 10 per cent in the latter, Mr Agarwal said.
“We are administering up to 80 lakh doses of vaccines per day and it has to be continued to cover the entire adult population,” Balram Bhargava, Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said.
All Images/Sources/Credit By:- NDTV News
