Explained: What we know about Omicron variant of Covid-19 so far
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, currently circulating in South Africa, as a ‘variant of concern’. It also named it Omicron.
The Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA) had identified the variant on Monday. It had detected a group of related SARS-CoV-2 viruses, which belong to a lineage named B.1.1.529.
Early indications are that this variant is possibly even more transmissible than the highly infectious Delta variant, and that current vaccines may be less effective against it.
What we do know so far about Omicron?
New variants continue to emerge as SARS-CoV-2 spreads, and the significance of each mutation becomes known after a period of time. But health authorities worldwide need to keep a constant watch to identify which ones are more important than others. It was as part of such an exercise that the NGS-SA detected B.1.1.529.
From what is known currently, B.1.1.529 has multiple spike protein mutations, and preliminary analysis suggests it is highly infectious. South Africa has reported a four-fold increase in new cases over the last two weeks, coinciding with the emergence of B.1.1.529.
On Thursday, the NGS-SA said B.1.1.529 has rapidly increased in Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria, and may already be present in most provinces. The NGS-SA has said the sustained increase in cases is possibly fuelled by cluster outbreaks.
Eye on Omicron: Testing at airport for arrivals from ‘at risk’ countries
With an eye on reports from across the world about Omicron, the new Covid “variant of concern”, the Central Government Sunday issued revised guidelines for international travellers arriving from Europe, including the UK, and 11 other “at risk” countries, mandating testing on arrival, home quarantine for seven days on a negative result, and a retest on the eighth day.
The Health Ministry directed all states to ensure that for international travellers from countries other than those labelled “at risk”, five per cent of a flight’s total number of passengers will have to undergo random-testing on arrival at airports.
How states are preparing to tackle Omicron variant
With the threat of a third Covid wave looming large over the country, several states have imposed restrictions to keep the spread of the new variant — Omicron — at bay. In a review meeting with states and UTs, the Centre on Tuesday advised them to ramp up testing for the early identification of Covid cases and ensure adequate infrastructure for management and isolation.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will meet Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tomorrow. "I'm going to Delhi on December 2 during which I will be meeting the Union Health Minister, I will discuss with him administration of booster dose to health and front line workers who had taken first and subsequently the second dose of vaccine about six to seven months back," Bommai said. He reiterated there was no need for "unnecessary worry" on lockdown-like measures.
Passengers arriving from the UK at Delhi's international airport on Wednesday morning told The Indian Express the lounge was "crowded" and they were made to wait 3-4 hours after taking Covid-19 tests for their results. Many passengers complained they weren't provided with water, food or charging points.
The airport has seen international arrivals only from the UK till now as officials said flights from China, Singapore and other countries have been delayed.
Officials explained there were two options for people arriving at the airport. The first was to pay Rs 500 for the test and Rs 1,200 for special lounge facility that includes stay, snacks, beverage etc. The test results take around 6-8 hours. The second is to pay Rs 3,900 for a rapid RT-PCR test and get the report in a couple of hours.
India reported 8,954 cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday and 267 deaths. This takes the country's overall caseload to 3,45,96,776, and toll to 4,69,247. The active Covid-19 cases have declined to 99,023.
The Gujarat government extended the ongoing night curfew (1 am to 5 am) in eight metropolitan cities of the state amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
As per a notification order released by the Home Department of the state government on Tuesday night, eight cities — Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Junagadh — will continue to have night curfew from 1 am to 5 am from December 1 to December 10. Read more
Tightening its genome sequencing measures to ensure early detection of new variants, including Omicron, the Union Health Ministry has asked states to send “100 per cent samples” from Covid hotspots, starting with two recent clusters in Karnataka’s Dharwad and Maharashtra’s Thane, The Indian Express has learnt.
On Tuesday, during a high-level review meeting chaired by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, the states were advised to send “all positive samples” for genome sequencing to designated INSACOG labs “in a prompt manner”. Earlier, only about five per cent of samples from positive cases detected by RT-PCR tests were sent for genome sequencing. Kaunain Sheriff M reports
Six international passengers from "countries at-risk" have tested positive for Covid-19 in Maharashtra.
The state government on Tuesday tightened rules for international travellers, making institutional quarantine of seven days compulsory for all coming from these countries. Domestic air travellers coming into Maharashtra will also have to carry a negative RT-PCR test report – sample tested within 48 hours of arrival – irrespective of their vaccination status. Yogesh Naik and Rupsa Chakraborty report
With passengers from ‘at risk’ countries now having to stay back at airports to wait for their RT-PCR reports, the Indira Gandhi International Airport has made seating arrangements for 1,200 to 1,400 people as they wait. Around 600 samples can be collected per hour, airport officials said. If the volumes increase, the facility for testing and seating arrangements can be increased.
Passengers who arrive at the airport from the countries at risk will have to pay Rs 1,700 for the test, food and water while they stay at the airport and wait for the report. The wait is expected to be 4-6 hours long. Read more here
The heavily mutated new coronavirus variant was in Europe several days earlier than previously known, health officials said Tuesday, and the number of countries where it has been found increased to at least 20, raising questions about whether the pandemic is about to surge once again. The NYT reports
The Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital has been designed as a dedicated facility to treat patients testing positive for the new Covid-19 variant ‘Omicron’ in New Delhi. The government has ordered that no patient of the new variant will be denied admission on any ground.
So far, no cases of the B.1.1.529 or Omicron variant have been detected in India but the Delhi government has placed the Health and other administrative departments on alert. As the dedicated facility to treat patients detected with the new variant, Lok Nayak Hospital has been directed to designate one or more separate wards for isolating and treating such patients.
Read more
With six international passengers from “countries at-risk” testing positive for Covid-19 in Maharashtra, the state government on Tuesday tightened rules for international travellers, making institutional quarantine of seven days compulsory for all coming from these countries.
Domestic air travellers coming into Maharashtra will also have to carry a negative RT-PCR test report – sample tested within 48 hours of arrival – irrespective of their vaccination status.
Read more
Tightening its genome sequencing measures to ensure early detection of new variants, including Omicron, the Union Health Ministry has asked states to send “100 per cent samples” from Covid hotspots, starting with two recent clusters in Karnataka’s Dharwad and Maharashtra’s Thane, The Indian Express has learnt.
On Tuesday, during a high-level review meeting chaired by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, the states were advised to send “all positive samples” for genome sequencing to designated INSACOG labs “in a prompt manner”. Earlier, only about five per cent of samples from positive cases detected by RT-PCR tests were sent for genome sequencing.
Read more
The divisional commissioner of Jammu reviewed Covid testing and mitigation measures on Tuesday night amid concerns over the new coronavirus variant Omicron, an official spokesperson said. Divisional Commissioner Raghav Langer directed the concerned officers to access data from the Air Suvidha portal for early detection of passengers coming from 'at-risk' countries, he said.
The state surveillance officer (SSO) was asked to share the lists with chief medical officers (CMOs) and field surveillance units on a real-time basis. 'The CMOs were asked to paste stickers of 'home quarantine' on the gate of (accommodation of) foreign travellers during the observation period of eight days,' the spokesperson said.
The administrations of Kathua, Jammu and Reasi districts, which are the entry points to the Jammu division, were also asked to set up paid quarantine centres, he said. The health department was directed to designate separate wards for Covid-positive patients with foreign travel history, according to the spokesperson. (PTI)
With passengers from ‘at risk’ countries now having to stay back at airports to wait for their RT PCR reports, the Indira Gandhi International Airport has made seating arrangements for 1,200 to 1,400 people as they wait.
Around 600 samples can be collected per hour, airport officials said. If the volumes increase, the facility for testing and seating arrangements can be increased. A change in guidelines followed the detection of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus in several countries, including South Africa, Botswana, the UK, and several countries of the European Union.
Read more
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority has asked the state health department to make sure there are enough hospital beds, medicines, and medical oxygen in the city to battle a possible spike in Covid cases.
In a meeting held Monday to discuss interventions and actions to be taken in view of the Omicron variant being detected in several countries, chaired by L-G Anil Baijal, it was decided to stick to the test, track, treat strategy earnestly, and to follow-up with international passengers who have to be placed under home isolation.
Read more
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi again on Tuesday to stop flights from countries affected by the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
“Many countries have stopped flights from countries affected by the Omicron variant. Why are we delaying? In the first wave, too, we had delayed stopping flights. Most international flights come to Delhi, and so it is the worst affected. PM sir, please stop flights immediately,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
Read more
With the threat of a third Covid wave looming large over the country, several states have imposed restrictions to keep the spread of the new variant — Omicron — at bay. In a review meeting with states and UTs, the Centre on Tuesday advised them to ramp up testing for the early identification of Covid cases and ensure adequate infrastructure for management and isolation.
Here are some of the measures taken by the states to curb the spread of infections.
The Centre on Tuesday extended the nation-wide Covid-19 containment measures till December 31 in view of the emergence of a highly mutant COVID-19 variant Omicron in some countries and asked the states to be vigilant.
In a communication, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla also asked states and UTs to strictly adhere to the November 25 advisory issued by the Union Health Ministry, recommending rigorous screening and testing of all international arrivals. Bhalla also said that the contacts of the international travellers must be closely tracked and tested as per the health ministry guidelines, and the samples of travellers turning positive sent to the designated Genome Sequencing Laboratories promptly, as per the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) Guidance Document.
He said the state surveillance officers must also establish close coordination with their designated or tagged genome sequencing laboratories for expediting results of genomic analysis, and the States and UTs should immediately undertake necessary public health measures, in case of the presence of variants of concern.
Accordingly, the home secretary directed that the existing "Prompt and Effective Containment Measures for COVID-19" must be continued till December 31. (PTI)
The Goa government on Tuesday decided to make RT-PCR test and self-isolation mandatory for all the international passengers arriving in the coastal state while those coming from the 12 "high risk" countries, where the Omicron variant of coronavirus was detected, will be quarantined for 14 days.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting of officials along with health minister Vishwajit Rane in view of the rising global concerns over the latest variant.
Officials of the Goa health department, airport, and the Mormugao Port Trust also attended the meeting.
"The state government will adhere to the guidelines issued by the Central government to avoid the spread of coronavirus in the country. While all the international passengers will have to undergo RT-PCR test compulsorily, those arriving from the 12 countries, where Omicron variant has been detected, would be quarantined for 14 days," Sawant said, adding that all the international passengers, excluding those from the 12 countries, would have to undergo self-isolation on their arrival in the state.
Sawant said the Union government is expected to decide a policy on chartered flights on Wednesday, which will bring clarity on the upcoming tourism season. (PTI)
The Gujarat government extended the ongoing night curfew (1 am to 5 am) in eight metropolitan cities of the state amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
As per a notification order released by the Home Department of the state government on Tuesday night, eight cities — Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Junagadh — will continue to have night curfew from 1 am to 5 am from December 1 to December 10. Read More
New findings about the coronavirus’s omicron variant made it clear Tuesday that the emerging threat slipped into countries well before their defences were up, as two distant nations announced their first cases and a third reported its presence before South African officials sounded the alarm.
The Netherlands’ RIVM health institute found omicron in samples dating from Nov. 19 and 23. The World Health Organization said South Africa first reported the variant to the UN health agency on Nov. 24. Meanwhile, Japan and France reported their first cases of the new variant that has forced the world once again to pinball between hopes of returning to normal and fears that the worst is yet to come. Read More
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) voiced concern on Tuesday that some states are introducing blanket measures aimed at the Omicron coronavirus variant that he said were “not evidence-based or effective on their own” and were penalising southern African countries that reported the strain so quickly.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a speech to the WHO’s 194 member states, urged them to take “rational, proportional risk-reduction measures” in keeping with the agency’s 2005 International Health Regulations.
“We still have more questions than answers about the effect of Omicron on transmission, severity of disease, and the effectiveness of tests, therapeutics and vaccines,” Tedros said in remarks posted on the WHO website. (Reuters)
A study at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has found that blood groups A, B and Rh+ are more disposed to Covid-19 infection, while blood groups O, AB and and Rh- are at a significantly lower risk of the infection.
The study was conducted in 2,586 Covid-19 positive patients who were admitted to the hospital from April 8 2020 to October 4 2020. The findings were published in the November 21 issue of Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. Read More
To encourage more people to get jabbed in the wake of the threat posed by the Omicron variant, the Kerala government on Tuesday said that it will not provide free treatment to Covid-19 patients who have not been vaccinated.
After a review meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said free treatment would not be given to patients who do not cooperate with the state’s Covid control measures. “The government will not bear treatment costs for those who haven’t taken vaccine shots. Those who are reluctant to take the vaccine on account of allergy or any disease should produce a certificate issued by a doctor in government service,’’ he said. Read More
The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) and National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) are deliberating and considering scientific evidence for the need and justification for booster dose, Rajya Sabha was told on Tuesday.
Responding to a query on the stand of the Indian Government on booster doses, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar in a written reply said some countries are providing booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
"The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) and National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) are deliberating and considering scientific evidences related to dose schedule of Covid vaccines as well as the need and justification for booster dose," she said. (PTI)
The Covid-19 Omicron variant was detected in the Netherlands before two flights arrived from South Africa last week carrying the virus, Dutch health officials said on Tuesday.
At least 14 people on flights from Johannesburg and Capetown arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on November 26 carrying the new variant, the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) said. Read More
Japan confirmed on Tuesday its first case of the new omicron coronavirus variant, a visitor who recently arrived from Namibia, an official said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the patient, a man in his 30s, tested positive upon arrival at Narita airport on Sunday and was isolated and is being treated at a hospital. Matsuno did not identify his nationality, citing privacy reasons. Read More
Citing the World Health Organisation (WHO) alert on the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) decided to postpone the reopening of schools for offline teaching for Classes I to VII till December 15.
In an official order, municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar said, “The opening of schools for Classes I to VII for offline teaching is being suspended till December 15. A decision will be taken after a review of the situation and offline teaching in schools for students of Classes I to VII will not be allowed. However, online teaching will continue.” Read More
The Karnataka government on Tuesday made RT-PCR testing mandatory for all international arrivals irrespective of whether the origin features in high-risk list or not.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that Delhi has prepared 30,000 oxygen beds including 10,000 ICU beds in the wake of Omicron threat.
India has so far not reported any case of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed Parliament on Tuesday, underlining that the government has taken measures to ensure that it does not reach the country. The Centre has issued an advisory after looking at developments globally and is keeping a close watch on ports, he said, adding genome sequencing of suspected cases is being done.
During Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said, "Omicron variant has been found in 14 countries now. It is being studied here although it has not been reported in India."
Stressing that there is a need to take all precautions, the minister said, "We have learnt a lot during the pandemic. We have resources and labs to check. At present, no Omicron variant has been reported in India and all measures have been taken to ensure this variant does not reach the country".
According to the minister, the Covid-19 situation is under control in India at present but the country is not free from this disease and Covid-appropriate behaviour should be followed. The house-door vaccination drive is still on and about 70-80 lakh doses are being administered on a daily basis, he said, adding 124 crore doses of Covid vaccine has been administered so far in the country. (PTI)
Australian authorities on Tuesday confirmed a person with Covid-19 had the new Omicron variant after disclosing that the person had been active in the community, but urged calm as they weighed up the severity of the strain.
The fully vaccinated person visited a busy shopping centre in Sydney while likely infectious, officials said. All passengers in the person's flight were asked to self-isolate for 14 days regardless of their vaccination status.The additional case brings Australia's total number of infections with the new variant to six.
But it is the first case where the person appeared to be active in the community. All other cases have been in quarantine and are asymptomatic or display very mild symptoms. (Reuters)
Drugmaker Moderna's CEO set off fresh alarm bells in financial markets on Tuesday after he warned that Covid-19 vaccines were unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant as they have been against the Delta version.
Crude oil futures shed more than a dollar, the Australian currency hit a year low, and Nikkei gave up gains as Stéphane Bancel's comments spurred fears that vaccine resistance could lead to more sickness and hospitalisations, prolonging the pandemic.
"There is no world, I think, where (the effectiveness) is the same level . . . we had with Delta," Moderna CEO Bancel told the Financial Times in an interview. "I think it's going to be a material drop. I just don't know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I've talked to . . . are like 'this is not going to be good'," Bancel said. (Reuters)
There is no sign of a surge of the Omicron coronavirus variant in Britain so far, the chief of the UK Health Security Agency said on Tuesday, saying there was no rise in the proportion of tests with a quirk that distinguishes it from Delta.
Jenny Harries said there were five confirmed Omicron cases in England and 10 "highly likely" cases, but that was not a sign of an increase in "S-gene target failure" in PCR tests in Britain, which is a feature of Omicron. Cases with S-gene target failure can then be prioritised for full genomic sequencing. (Reuters)
Amid growing concern over the Omicron variant, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has postponed the reopening of schools for classes 1 to 7 to December 15, said an official from the BMCs education department. Schools were previously scheduled to reopen tomorrow.
Last week, the state cabinet gave its nod to reopen all classes in the physical mode. Students admitted to Class 1 in 2020 and this year have been only attending online classes. (Read more)
Japan has confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday, citing unidentified government sources.
Japan shut its borders to foreigners on Tuesday for at least a month, among the strictest measures in the world to halt entry of Omicron, recently discovered in southern Africa and declared a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organisation.
Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto said on Monday that a traveler from Namibia had tested positive for the coronavirus at the airport, and that further tests were needed to find out if it was from the new variant. (Reuters)
Amid mounting concerns over the potentially more contagious coronavirus variant Omicron spreading to many countries, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan held a review meeting with states and UTs on Tuesday and advised them to ramp up testing for early identification and management of cases.
While underlining that the new variant doesn't escape RT-PCR and RAT tests, Bhushan asked states and UTs to ensure adequate infrastructure and supervised home isolation, a Union Health Ministry official said.
According to government officials, no case of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus has been detected in India yet. (PTI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday questioned the delay in stopping flights from countries affected by Omicron variant of coronavirus.
"Several countries have stopped flights from Omicron affected countries. Why are we delaying it? We had delayed stopping international flights in the first wave also. Majority of flights land in Delhi. Delhi is most affected. Kindly stop the flights immediately," Kejriwal said in a tweet.
Kejriwal had on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop flights coming to India from countries affected by the new variant with immediate effect. (PTI)
Singapore has quarantined one traveller as a close contact of two passengers on Singapore Airlines' (SIA) Johannesburg flight who had tested positive for coronavirus variant Omicron on arrival in Sydney, local media reported on Tuesday.
The traveller, along with six others, had disembarked from SIA's SQ481 which departed from Johannesburg on November 27 and arrived at Singapore's Changi Airport on the same day.
The six other passengers who disembarked in Singapore are on a 10-day stay-home notice at a dedicated facility where they will be tested for the coronavirus, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday night. (PTI)
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday broadened its recommendation for Covid-19 booster shots for all adults as the new omicron variant is identified in more countries. The agency had previously approved boosters for all adults, but only recommended them for those 50 years and older or if they live in a long-term care setting.
CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the new guidance reflects the emergence of the omicron variant, which has not yet been identified in the US but that officials say will inevitably reach the country. (Read more)
Six days after a 32-year-old Dombvli resident with international travel history from South Africa tested Covid-19 positive upon arrival in Mumbai via Delhi on November 24, the Kalyan Dombvli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) is unable to track the taxi driver, who drove the man from Mumbai airport to Dombvli.
“I tried contacting him but he is not answering calls. Now, I have sent the details to the state health department. As the person doesn’t reside in KDMC jurisdiction, the department might ask Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to trace the driver,” said Pratibha Panpatil, Chief Medical Officer of KDMC. (Read more)
Seven people arrived from South Africa in Maharashtra's Thane city adjoining Mumbai since November 14 and all of them were tested in the wake of concerns over the new potentially more transmissible 'Omicron' variant of the coronavirus, civic officials said on Tuesday.
Four of them tested negative for the coronavirus, while results of the remaining three were awaited, Manish Joshi, Deputy Municipal Commissioner in-charge of the Thane civic body's health department, told PTI.
Notably, a 32-year-old man who came to neighbouring Dombivli town in the district from South Africa on November 24 had tested positive for the coronavirus. He is currently kept in isolation at a civic facility of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation and his sample has been sent for genome sequencing. (PTI)
The ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) report on the sample of one of the two South Africa returnees, who tested Covid-19 positive with features "different from the Delta variant" of the virus is expected in the next two to three days, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Tuesday.
He, however, said the two Covid infected people who arrived from South Africa here earlier this month were asymptomatic and did not require hospitalisation, but as a precautionary measure they were admitted to the hospital. (PTI)
As Africa grapples with new coronavirus variant Omicron, India on Monday said it stands ready to support the affected countries in the continent including by supplying vaccines, life-saving drugs and test kits. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said supplies of vaccines can be undertaken through COVAX or bilaterally.
A 39-year-old Chandigarh resident, who had returned from South Africa a few days ago, tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday and his sample will now be sent to Delhi for whole genome sequencing. One of his family members and a domestic help have also been found infected with the infection.
The man had tested Covid-19 negative upon his arrival here on November 21. He tested positive for coronavirus in a retest on Monday and being shifted to an institutional quarantine facility.
“In continuation of the earlier press statement, it is hereby informed that the 39-year-old South Africa returnee who was retested today has turned out to be positive for Covid-19. His one family member and a domestic help have also tested positive for Covid-19. However, two other family members are reported to be negative while the report of one family member is awaited. The samples of the positive cases will be sent for whole genome sequencing to the National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi, to ascertain the variant/variant of concern, if any,” the Chandigarh Administration said in a statement. (PTI)
The Goa government will hold a top-level meeting on Tuesday to take stock of the Covid-19 situation in light of a new variant being found in the southern part of Africa recently, officials said. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said all Covid-19 guidelines were being followed strictly and personnel at the airport and railway stations have been told to be on alert as part of efforts to stop the spread of the new variant. A meeting has been called of health and administrative officials on Tuesday to discuss the situation, the CM said.
The United States is unlikely to impose further restrictions amid the anticipated arrival of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, the nation's top infectious disease official said on Monday after a travel ban on some southern African nations began.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was to brief US President Joe Biden later on Monday, said that while officials were bracing for the first confirmed US case of the variant, vaccines remained a top tool to blunt its impact.
Hours earlier, a US ban blocked most travelers from eight southern African countries from entering the country in an effort to slow transmission and give experts more time to assess Omicron, including its severity, transmissibility and impact on vaccines. (Reuters)
Scotland reported six cases of Omicron on Monday, some of which were not linked to travel in southern Africa, raising concerns that the new coronavirus variant is already spreading in the community.
Britain earlier announced three cases of the variant, which the World Health Organization said on Monday was likely to spread internationally, posing a “very high” global risk of infection surges. Read More
With the identification of four new Covid-19 clusters in Karnataka – two in Bengaluru, one each in Dharwad and Mysuru – the total number of active cases in the state rose from 6,707 on November 23 to 6,831 on November 28. According to the Karnataka Covid-19 war room data, the average positivity rate for the state in the past seven days is 0.39 per cent. On November 21, the war room reported the state average positivity rate to be 0.31 per cent.
According to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Covid-19 war room data, the positivity rate from November 14 to November 20 was 0.45 per cent and it became 0.51 per cent for the period from November 21 to November 27. On November 25, the total number of active cases in Bengaluru was 5,141 and the tally increased to 5,287 on November 28. Bengaluru’s recovery rate has also fallen from 98.29 per cent on November 24 to 98.28 per cent now. Read More
Pfizer Inc now expects to manufacture 80 million treatment courses of its experimental Covid-19 antiviral drug, up from a previous forecast of 50 million, Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in a CNBC interview on Monday. Earlier this month, Pfizer said it expects to manufacture 180,000 treatment courses by the end of this year and at least 50 million courses by the end of next year, including 21 million in the first half of 2022.
"We can right now commit to 80 million doses ... thanks to our manufacturing machine," Bourla told CNBC. He said he was confident that the drug, with the brand name Paxlovid, would be unaffected by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Adding that the company would know more details about the new variant in the next few weeks.
Pfizer applied for emergency authorization of Paxlovid last week after reporting data showing that it was 89% effective at preventing hospitalization or death in at-risk people. (Reuters)
As scientists race to understand the consequences of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, one of the most important questions is whether this new version of the coronavirus can outrun the globally dominant Delta variant.
The World Health Organization on Friday designated Omicron a “variant of concern” just days after the variant was first reported in southern Africa. The WHO said it is coordinating with many researchers worldwide to better understand how the variant will impact the COVID-19 pandemic, with new findings expected within “days and weeks.” Read More
The 32-year-old Dombivli resident with international travel history from South Africa, who tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Delhi on November 24, had tested negative after an RT-PCR test conducted 72 hours prior to his journey from Cape Town to Mumbai.
Now, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is trying to trace the private cab driver who drove him to Dombivli along with the fellow passengers who were in his close proximity in the flight. Read More
Lucknow DM has issued protocols for passengers arriving at Lucknow Airport in the wake of Omicron variant. Passengers showing symptoms in the thermal scanning will be subjected to free RT-PCR test. RT-PCR test of 10% passengers arriving on all domestic flights to be done on random basis.
BioNTech SE said on Monday it had started work on a vaccine tailored to Omicron, the worrying new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa, though it was not yet clear if it would have to rework its established Covid-19 shot. The development of an adapted vaccine is part of the company's standard procedure for new variants, BioNTech, which makes vaccines together with Pfizer, said in a statement.
"The first steps of developing a potential new vaccine overlap with the research necessary in order to evaluate whether a new shot will be needed," it added.
The Omicron variant carries a very high global risk of surges, the WHO warned on Monday as more countries reported cases, prompting border closures.
BioNTech had said on Friday it expects more lab data over the next two weeks to help determine if there is need for an Omicron-specific vaccine. Rival Moderna has said it was working on a redesign of its COVID-19 vaccine for future booster shots. (Reuters)
No case of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus has been detected in India yet, a senior government official said on Monday. The B.1.1.529 Covid variant or Omicron, first detected in South Africa last week, was designated by the World Health Organisation as a 'variant of concern', the health body's top category for worrying coronavirus variants.
A senior official said no case of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus has been detected in India yet and Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia INSACOG is closely monitoring the situation and expediting the results of genomic analysis of positive samples of international travellers. (PTI)
The World Health Organization on Monday is pushing for an international accord to help prevent and fight future pandemics amid the emergence of a worrying new omicron Covid-19 variant. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said many uncertainties remain about just how transmissible and severe infection by the highly mutated omicron might be.
Tedros joined leaders like outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera for a long-planned and largely virtual special session of the U.N. health agency's member states at the World Health Assembly. The gathering is aimed at devising a global action plan toward preventing, preparing and responding to future pandemics.
“The emergence of the highly mutated omicron variant underlines just how perilous and precarious our situation is," Tedros said, calling for a “legally binding" agreement that wasn't mentioned in a draft text seeking consensus on the way forward. “Indeed, omicron demonstrates just why the world needs a new accord on pandemics. Our current system disincentivizes countries from alerting others to threats that will inevitably land on their shores," he said, saying that South Africa and Botswana — where the new variant was detected in southern Africa — should be praised and not “penalized” for their work.
Tedros said WHO scientists and others around the world were working urgently to decipher the threat post by the new variant, saying: “We don't yet know whether omicron is associated with more transmission, more severe disease, more risk of infections, or more risk of evading vaccines.” The world should now be “wide awake” to the threat of the coronavirus, “but omicron's very emergence is another reminder that although many of us might think we are done with COVID-19. It's not done with us,” he added. (AP)
Experts have called on to identify more clusters of the new coronavirus variant Omicron and conduct genome sequencing. They also stated that vaccination would significantly reduce hospitalisation and severity of possible Covid-19 infection due to the Omicron variant.
Professor of epidemiology at Indian Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, Giridhar R Babu said that Botswana, South Africa, Hong Kong and the other countries which have so far reported the presence of Omicron cannot be the only areas where the variant has travelled to. “These areas are the ones that have probably better surveillance and genomic sequencing and hence reported promptly. Absence of reporting is not the absence of (virus) circulation,” he said. Read More
The Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a “very high” global risk of infection surges that could have “severe consequences” some areas, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday.
The UN agency urged its 194 member states to accelerate vaccination of high-priority groups and, in anticipation of increased case numbers, to “ensure mitigation plans are in place” to maintain essential health services. Read More
"Omicron demonstrates just why the world needs a new accord on pandemics: our current system disincentivizes countries from alerting others to threats that will inevitably land on their shores," said Tedros Adhanom, Director General of the World Health Organization.
"We don’t yet know whether Omicron is more severe or highly transmissible. Its risk of reinfections, risk of evading vaccines etc are yet to be found. Scientists at WHO and around the earth, globe, Europe-Africa are working urgently to answer these questions," said Tedros Adhanom, Director General of the World Health Organization.
Speaking to news agency ANI, the Chairman of India's Covid-19 Task Force, Dr N K Arora on Monday said that a comprehensive policy on additional and booster doses against Covid-19 will be made public in the next two weeks by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) of India.
Additionally, he stated that a comprehensive plan for immunizing 44 crore children below the age of 18 years will be made public soon. He added that the priority would be given to children with comorbidities, followed by healthy children.