India’s First 2 Omicron Cases, Centre Says Don’t Panic: 10 points

In accordance with the Bengaluru municipal company, the 66-year-old, who has acquired each vaccine doses, had travelled from South Africa on November 20 with a adverse Covid report. Nonetheless, he examined constructive on arrival in India and was asymptomatic, following which he was advised self-isolate at a lodge. Per week later (with a adverse Covid report from a personal lab) he flew to Dubai.

Samples have been collected from 24 major contacts and 240 secondary contacts of the traveler from South Africa. All have returned adverse check outcomes.

The second affected person is a well being employee from Bengaluru who developed signs (fever and physique ache) on November 21. He examined constructive (after an RT-PCR check) the next day. He was discharged after three days of remedy at a metropolis hospital. Worryingly, three major contacts and two secondary contacts of the second affected person (the well being employee) examined constructive between November 22 and 25. All 5 have been remoted, however it’s unclear if they’re contaminated with the Omicron pressure.

Because it confirmed the presence of the Omicron pressure in India, the federal government underlined the mantra “consciousness is completely important”. It highlighted a WHO advisory that claims Covid-appropriate habits – use of face masks, avoiding crowded locations, practising social distance and continuously sanitising fingers – stay efficient in guarding in opposition to an infection by any variant, together with Omicron.

Worldwide airports throughout India started intensive screening and testing of all arrivals from yesterday morning. According to central tips, all passengers arriving from ‘in danger’ international locations (this consists of European nations and South Africa, the place the Omicron pressure was first detected) need to take RT-PCR exams on arrival. The check consequence needs to be adverse so as to depart the airport.

Passengers from nations exterior the ‘in danger’ listing are being examined on a random sampling foundation (roughly two per cent of every planeload). They will depart the airport earlier than the check result’s declared. All worldwide arrivals, although, need to fill out self-declaration varieties to permit the federal government to trace them down in case they (or a contact) check constructive.

This morning Maharashtra – which introduced a stricter algorithm and invited the centre’s displeasure in doing so – mentioned 4 Covid instances had been reported amongst worldwide passengers who landed in Mumbai earlier than the Omicron journey guidelines. Two have been from London, one other from Mauritius and the fourth from South Africa.

Yesterday Maharashtra and Delhi introduced six Covid instances every amongst worldwide arrivals, with Chandigarh reporting two extra instances (together with one shut contact). All these instances – yesterday and right this moment – have been positioned in isolation and their samples are being examined to substantiate the infecting pressure.

The Omicron pressure – designated a ‘variant of concern’ by the WHO – is believed to have 50+ mutations, together with over 30 on the spike protein, which make it considerably extra infectious than the Delta variant that’s at the moment dominant worldwide; it constitutes over 60 per cent of all Covid instances in India.

Researchers are nonetheless checking if Omicron is extra deadly and if present vaccines supply safety. Pfizer has begun engaged on a brand new vaccine and a drug by GlaxoSmithKline appears efficient. Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute, which produces the AstraZeneca vaccine offered in India as Covishield, advised NDTV a brand new model of its jab could possibly be developed as nicely, relying on outcomes of ongoing research.

The brand new variant was first detected in South Africa final week, the place it’s quickly turning into the dominant pressure. Inside 24 hours, instances have been detected in Israel, Hong Kong and Belgium. In 48 hours it was in Australia, Germany, Italy, England and different international locations. As of this morning it has been detected in over 24 international locations, together with the US, France and Japan.