Omicron: India's Tally Touches 200, Most Cases Mild

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced that India has reported 200 cases of the Omicron variant. The Ministry also added that about 77 of these patients have tested negative and been discharged

The cases have been reported from 12 states, and Union Territories in the country. Maharashtra and Delhi with 54 cases have the highest number of positive patients. Telangana (20), Karnataka (19), Rajasthan (17), Kerala (15), Gujarat (11), Uttar Pradesh (2), Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal (1 each) are the other states that have reported cases of the variant.

The variant was identified by South African researchers on November 26 and Karnataka was the first Indian state to report two cases of the new variant. One of the patients came to Bangalore from South Africa, and later took a flight to Dubai. The other patient is a doctor in Bangalore. There have been several reports of close contacts of patients with travel history testing positive with the variant.

India Prepared To Tackle Omicron: Mandaviya

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in the Lok Sabha said that the country is prepared to tackle the variant and has enough number of beds, medicines and vaccines. He said that the ministry is monitoring the situation daily by discussing with experts and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been issued for travelers coming from abroad.

International airports in India are testing all international travelers from Africa and Europe as the variant is spreading rapidly within countries in these continents.

The Delhi and Maharashtra state governments have stated that many of the patients above the age of 18 are vaccinated and they are either asymptomatic or showing very mild symptoms, the State governments have said. BOOM has earlier reported a study that shows Omicron escapes the immunity induced by the Pfizer vaccine. Researchers are studying the impact of the other vaccines on the variant.

Also Read: Study Shows Omicron Escapes Immunity Induced By Pfizer Vaccine

The World Health Organisation has meanwhile informed that the Omicron variant is transmitting faster than other variants. While Delta was more severe, the severity of Omicron is yet to be studied. United Kingdom while the United States is witnessing an increase in both Delta and Omicron cases.

Also Read: Omicron Spreading Faster Than Other COVID-19 Variants: WHO

Meanwhile, the Netherlands announced a new lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

Also Read: Omicron Explained: How Are Variants Sequenced And How Long Does It Take?