7 students in IIT Bombay tested Covid-19 positive on Monday. All the students were fully vaccinated.
All seven have been isolated with mild symptoms. 5 of those were staying in the same hostel wing. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sealed the hostel. The contact tracing is being done and their samples have been sent for genome sequencing.
In light of the growing number of cases of Omicron variant in the country, those testing positive even after being fully vaxxed is a matter of concern. Although the government said there is no evidence to suggest that existing vaccines do not work on the Omicron variant of coronavirus, though some of the mutations reported on the spike gene may decrease the efficacy of existing vaccines, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday. "There are limited available data, and no peer-reviewed evidence, on vaccine efficacy or effectiveness to date for Omicron," Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a written reply.
He was responding to a question on whether the vaccinations that are given in the country are effective to develop immunity for this variant. "However, vaccine protection is also by antibodies as well as by cellular immunity, which is expected to be relatively better preserved. Hence vaccines are expected to still offer protection against severe disease and, vaccination with the available vaccines remains crucial," he added.
Also Read I No evidence to suggest that existing vaccines don't work on Omicron: Govt to Rajya Sabha
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