Omicron in India: The cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus rose to 21 in India after the new variant was found in 17 more people on Sunday. Among the new cases, nine were detected in Jaipur, seven in Pune and one in Delhi. The person who came to Delhi from Tanzania, who tested positive for Omicron variant, was fully vaccinated. So far, Omicron variant cases have been reported in Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi and Rajasthan.
India recorded 8,306 new Covid-19 cases, according to the Health Ministry’s press release in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on December 6. As many as 211 new deaths were reported in the country. With 8,834 recoveries, the active cases in India stood at 98,416.
Of the 161 deaths reported in Kerala on Monday, 23 were recorded in the last 24 hours, while 138 were added as per a government order dated September 29 that specified a few more criteria for declaring death due to Covid.
Several cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus have sprung up in India with Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Delhi reporting new cases on Sunday. Currently, India’s tally stands at 21.
While seven cases were reported in Maharashtra’s Pune district, of which six belonged to the same family, in Jaipur, nine cases of the Omicron variant were confirmed — all of whom had attended the same wedding. In Delhi, a man in his 30s was found to be infected with the new variant and admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital.
Also Read: E Sanjeevani OPD: Patient Registration, esanjeevaniopd.in Appointment
India’s daily positivity rate at 0.94%
The daily positivity rate in India was recorded at 0.94 per cent in the last 24 hours. It has been less than two per cent for last 63 days. The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 0.78 per cent. It has been below one per cent for the last 22 days, according to the health ministry.
The active cases comrpise 0.28 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.35 per cent, the ministry added. (PTI)
India reports 8,306 new Covid-19 cases, 211 deaths
India recorded 8,306 new Covid-19 cases, according to the Health Ministry’s press release in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on December 6. As many as 211 new deaths were reported in the country. With 8,834 recoveries, the active cases in India stood at 98,416.
Of the 161 deaths reported in Kerala on Monday, 23 were recorded in the last 24 hours, while 138 were added as per a government order dated September 29 that added a few more criteria for declaring death due to Covid.
US chief medical adviser says early reports encouraging about Omicron variant
US President Joe Biden’s chief medial adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, on Sunday said that scientists need more information before drawing conclusion’s about Omicron’s severity, news agency AP reported.
Reports from South Africa, where the variant was first detected, suggest that hospitalisation rates have not increased alarmingly. “Thus far, it does not look like there’s a great degree of severity to it,” Fauci said. However, he added, “We have really got to be careful before we make any determinations that it is less severe or it really doesn’t cause any severe illness, comparable to Delta.”
World Health Organisation epidemiologist Dr Maria Van Kerkhove that even if a large number of Omicron cases are mild, “some of those individuals will need hospitalisations.They will need to go into ICU and some people will die…We don’t want to see that happen on top of an already difficult situation with Delta circulating globally.”
Amid Omicron alert, Maharashtra short of kits for early detection
With Omicron making its presence felt in Maharashtra, the state government has asked districts to procure the S-gene test, which enables quick detection of the variant. However, apart from Mumbai and Pune, no other district in the state has these test kits.
The test detects the absence of the S-gene, which is an indicator of the presence of this variant in a Covid positive patient. Formally known as the S-gene Target Failure (SGTF) test, this proxy test can be used for early detection.
On November 30, state Additional Chief Secretary Pradeep Vyas wrote to the districts to run the SGTF test for “efficient detection for Omicron” and instructed that specimens with SGTF should be prioritised for genomic sequencing and confirmation of Omicron. “Use of SGTF approach may lead to faster detection rate,” he instructed.
Centre should stop flights from countries hit by Omicron: Delhi health minister reiterates Kejriwal’s demand
With the first case of Covid cause by the Omicron variant being detected in Delhi, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the Centre should stop flights coming from countries where the variant has been detected so far.
He was reiterating the demand of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has appealed to the Prime Minister on two occasions in the past, asking that flight from these countries be stopped to make sure the new variant does not spread in the country.
At present, passengers from Europe as well as 10 other countries have been tagged as ‘at risk’ by the Indian government. These include South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore, and Israel. Passengers arriving from these countries have to mandatorily get tested at the airport and wait for the results.