A Maharashtra man who had traveled to Mumbai from South Africa via Dubai and Delhi had tested positive for Omicron on Saturday, said officials. This is the fourth case of the Omicron variant in India.
The 33-year-old man had arrived in Delhi on November 23 and had given his samples for COVID-19 testing at the Delhi airport. He had then taken a flight to Mumbai, official sources said in Delhi. The man is a marine engineer by profession. Due to the odd nature of his job he couldn't get vaccinated while on the ship since April despite his efforts, a Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) official said on Saturday.
Gujarat also reported its first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant on Saturday. The new variant was detected in a 72-year-old man in Jamnagar city following his return from Zimbabwe, the state health department said.
Here are the top points to note from today:
- The number of total Omicron cases in India rose to 4 on Saturday after Gujarat and Maharashtra reported one case each. Earlier, two cases were detected in Karnataka.
- As a debate rages over whether India should roll out the booster shots against COVID, scientists say that the country should prioritize double vaccinating its eligible population given a large number of people still to get the base layer of protection against the infection.
- Amid growing concerns over the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, a Parliamentary panel has recommended that the efficacy COVID vaccines must be evaluated and the government conduct more research to examine the need for booster doses to contain the new strain.
- The Union health ministry wrote to the governments of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha and Mizoram to take necessary steps under the 'Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate-Covid Appropriate Behaviour' strategy to control the spread of COVID-19 and reduce fatality.
- States issued fresh travel guidelines as fresh cases of Omicron surfaced. People coming from countries affected by the new COVID-19 Omicron variant to West Bengal will be required to stay in isolation for seven days, the state government said on Friday. Read Karnataka's guidelines HERE
- Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh has become the first state to fully vaccinate 100 percent of its adult population against COVID-19, an official spokesperson claimed on Saturday.
- India recorded 8,603 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 415 deaths due to the infection in the past 24 hours. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday, the country saw a total of 8,190 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery rate at around 98.35 per cent which is the highest since March 2020 and total recoveries data reached to 3,40,53,856.
- The Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday dedicated 20 counters for those making online bookings of RT-PCR and Rapid anti-gen covid tests. The counters are made on terminal 3 of the airport. The move comes amid the scare of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus. The counters are fully operational now.
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) said it has revised downward the charges for Rapid PCR test for COVID-19 at its facility to Rs 3,900 from Rs 4,500 earlier.
- As India reported its third Omicron case in Jamnagar, Kerala is now waiting with bated breath for the results of three Covid positive samples sent for genomic sequencing. According to the authorities, the results of the three samples are expected to be out in a day or two.
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