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Omicron Variant In India: While India has not reported any case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus yet, Dr. Samiran Panda, head of Epidemiology at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) asserted that the ‘new strain is possibly already in the country and it may be a matter of time before it’s detected’. Referring to a large number of South African returnees in India, Dr. Samiran Panda while speaking to NDTV said that there may be some symptomatic cases in these passengers as there has been a lot of travel from South Africa since the detection of the first case of Omicron on November 9 . “I won’t be surprised if there’s detection in India. It’s just a matter of time, given the high transmissibility that this variant comes with,” the news channel quoted the top government expert as saying. Earlier on Monday, the World Health Organisation had raised concern over the Omicron strain saying that it poses a ‘very high‘ risk globally. It had also warned of severe consequenc...

Kochi: Amid the emergence of a worrying new omicron COVID-19 variant and its spread in around 15 countries and more, several states across India have planned stringent and preventive measures to avoid the risk of its spread in the country. And, as part of its efforts to tackle the spread of the new variant, Kerala has deployed health workers at all the four airports in the state in order to collect samples and conduct testing of people coming from foreign countries, said Health Minister Veena George. The minister has also announced that all international passengers arriving from high-risk nations, which have reported cases of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, will have to undergo 14 days quarantine when they reach the state. The minister said details of the passengers arriving will be collected from the airport and handed over to the departments concerned to ensure home quarantine and contact tracing. The minister said, “As per guidelines of Govt of India, we discussed the steps we’...

Agra: A 41-year-old Austrian woman became the fourth foreign national to test positive for Covid in the pilgrim town Vrindavan in Mathura district of western Uttar Pradesh. The woman was residing at the same ashram in Vrindavan where the other three other foreign nationals tested positive for Covid. The other three are nationals of Lithuania, Spain and Switzerland. All the four were on a fortnight visit to Vrindavan and underwent COVID-19 test before their return journey, officials said. They have been kept in isolation. Since all the infected foreign nationals were staying at Giridhar Ashram in Sheetal Chhaya in Vrindavan, the area has been marked as a containment zone, the officials said. “The woman, aged 41, is from Austria and had symptoms of Covid. All four foreigners testing positive for Covid are placed under treatment in isolation,” Dr Bhoodev, the deputy chief medical officer and in-charge of the Covid control centre in Mathura said. All the four foreign nationals who test...

Geneva: The World Health Organization warned Monday that the global risk from the omicron variant is very high based on early evidence, saying the mutated coronavirus could lead to surges with severe consequences. The UN health agency, in a technical paper issued to member states, said “considerable uncertainties remain about the variant that was first detected days ago in southern Africa. But it said it is possible the variant has mutations that could enable it to escape an immune-system response and boost its ability to spread from one person to another. Depending on these characteristics, there could be future surges of COVID-19, which could have severe consequences, depending on a number of factors, including where surges may take place, it added. The overall global risk … is assessed as very high. The warning came as a widening circle of countries around the world reported cases of the variant and moved to slam their doors shut while scientists race to figure out just how danger...

Washington: President Joe Biden called the new coronavirus variant omicron a cause for concern but not a cause for panic” Monday and said he was not considering any widespread US lockdown. He urged Americans anew to get fully vaccinated, including booster shots, and return to face masks indoors in public settings to slow any spread. Speaking Monday at the White House, Biden said it was inevitable that the new variant would reach the US, but he also said the country has the tools necessary to protect Americans particularly the approved vaccines and booster shots. When omicron arrives, and it will, Biden said, America will face this new threat just as we’ve faced those that have come before it. He appealed to the roughly 80 million unvaccinated Americans aged 5 and up to get their shots, and for the rest of the country to seek out booster shots six months after their second dose. He also encouraged everyone to get back to wearing face masks in all indoor public settings a pan...

Bengaluru: Amid growing concern over new COVID-19 strain ‘Omicron’, Authorities at the Bengaluru airport swung into action and decided to step up COVID-19 precautionary measures by intensifying testing and sanitization process at the airport to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The Omicron variant, which scientists say has a high number of mutations, was first detected in South Africa last week. A World Health Organisation (WHO) panel has classified it as a highly transmissible variant of concern, the same category that includes the Delta variant. The airport authority said that as many as 49 health officials have been working interchangeably in three shifts to check both international and domestic passengers arriving. The authorities have also made RT PCR and Rapid Antigen testing compulsory for those travelling from other countries. Thermal screening has also been made compulsory at the airport. The passengers coming from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong will have to und...

New Delhi : The Indian government on Monday offered ‘Made in India’ vaccine supply and other help to the countries dealing with new Covid variant ‘Omicron’ in Africa. “The Government of India stands ready to support the countries affected in Africa in dealing with the Omicron variant, including by supplies of ‘Made in India’ vaccines. Supplies can be undertaken through Covax or bilaterally,” said the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The Central government in this regard has cleared all orders placed so far by Covax for supplies of Covishield vaccines, including to African countries like Malawi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Mozambique, Guinea and Lesotho, the MEA added. “We have also cleared supplies of Covaxin to Botswana. Any new requirement projected either bilaterally or through Covax will be considered expeditiously,” said the Ministry in a statement, adding that India also stands ready to supply essential life-saving drugs, test kits, gloves, PPE kits and medical equipment such a...