Omicron Variant: India's tally crosses a century; UP's Ghaziabad latest to add 2 cases

At least 2 people tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Ghaziabad's Nehru Nagar. An elderly husband and wife came to Ghaziabad via Jaipur from Mumbai. Both their samples were sent for genome sequencing after they tested positive for Covid-19. Both have a stable health and are in home isolation.

With these, Maharashtra's tally of Omicron cases reach 40

Twelve more people tested positive for the new Covid variant Omicron in Delhi on Friday, taking the total to 22, and officials said most of them are "fully vaccinated" and "asymptomatic". Ten of the 22 patients have been discharged, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said. A senior doctor at the Lok Nayak Hospital, where a special facility has been set up for isolating and treating suspected Omicron cases, said most of the patients are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic.

Amid escalating concerns over the Omicron variant, Delhi prisons authorities have said they are ramping up anti-coronavirus measures and have decided to raise awareness about vaccines among inmates and isolate those showing symptoms of an Influenza-like illness. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain Friday said 10 fresh cases of the new Covid variant have been detected in the national capital, taking the tally to 20.

Ten of these patients have been discharged, he said. According to the latest official order, all staff of the three Delhi prisons -- Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini -- have been directed to emphasise to inmates the need to get vaccinated and doing so as quickly as possible.

Prisons in Delhi are often very crowded, making them a potential hotspot for the spread of the virus. During the previous wave of coronavirus, the Supreme Court had allowed jails authorities across the country to take steps to decongest prisons including by releasing inmates on parole.

Amid escalating concerns over the Omicron variant, Delhi prisons authorities have said they are ramping up anti-coronavirus measures and have decided to raise awareness about vaccines among inmates and isolate those showing symptoms of an Influenza-like illness.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain Friday said 10 fresh cases of the new Covid variant have been detected in the national capital, taking the tally to 20. Ten of these patients have been discharged, he said. According to the latest official order, all staff of the three Delhi prisons -- Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini -- have been directed to emphasise to inmates the need to get vaccinated and doing so as quickly as possible.
Prisons in Delhi are often very crowded, making them a potential hotspot for the spread of the virus. During the previous wave of coronavirus, the Supreme Court had allowed jails authorities across the country to take steps to decongest prisons including by releasing inmates on parole.

Based on current limited evidence, Omicron appears to be spreading fastest rate not seen with any other previous variant. Emerging data from South Africa suggest increased riks of reinfection with Omicron: Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia

• This is the time to avoid non-essential travel, mass gatherings and it is very important to observe low-intensity festivities, says Dr. Balram Bhargava, DG ICMR on the emergence of Omicron variant of COVID-19.
• A new phase of the COVID19 pandemic is being experienced in Europe with a steep rise in cases, health ministry said
• Districts with over 5 pc Covid case positivity rate need to ensure restrictive measures until it's below 5 pc for at least 2 weeks: Govt

There are 101 Omicron cases across 11 states in the country, said Lav Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry.

• New daily cases were recorded below 10,000 for the past 20 days. The case positivity for the last 1 week was 0.65%. Currently, Kerala contributes 40.31% to the total number of active cases in the country.
• India is administering COVID19 vaccine doses at the highest rate in the world and the daily rate of doses administered is 4.8 times the rate of doses administered in the USA and 12.5 times the rate of doses administered in the UK
• Omicron variant reported in 91 countries in the world. WHO has said that Omicron is spreading faster than the Delta variant in South Africa where Delta circulation was low. It's likely Omicron will outpace Delta variant where community transmission occurs, WHO added

Some of the rapid at-home Covid-19 tests available in the US may not accurately pick up the new super mutant Omicron variant, the country's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said.

According to Fauci, the PCR tests, often considered the 'gold standard' for Covid testing, are accurate for detecting Omicron, the Daily Mail reported.

Two more cases of Omicron were reported in Telangana on Friday, taking the state's tally to nine, a top health official said. While eight of the passengers tested positive for the new variant of Covid-19 have entered the state, the ninth person left for Kolkata after arrival at Hyderabad Airport.

A Zimbabwe-based NRI man, his wife, and brother-in-law, who were found infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Jamnagar city of Gujarat earlier this month, have now tested negative for the infection and were given a discharge from a hospital in Jamnagar, officials said on Friday.

They were the first three patients of the Omicron variant in Gujarat, which later reported two more such cases - one in Surat and another in Mehsana.

France will sharply restrict travel to and from Britain because of fast-spreading cases of the omicron coronavirus variant, putting limits on reasons for travelling and requiring 48-hour isolation upon arrival, the government said Thursday.

Poland's Health Ministry has confirmed the country's first case of infection with the omicron coronavirus variant in a woman from Lesotho. The case was found in a sample examined in Katowice. The ministry tweeted Thursday that the 30-year Lesotho citizen feels well but has been put in hospital isolation.

It said national health authorities have taken necessary steps. That usually means contacting, testing and putting under quarantine people who have had contact with the infected person.

The first Polish person diagnosed with omicron was a teenager who travelled to China this month and tested positive on arrival.

Three passengers, who arrived in Goa from the United Kingdom on Friday morning, tested positive for coronavirus and their samples were sent for genome sequencing to know whether they are infected with the Omicron variant, a state minister said.

India on Thursday detected 14 new Omicron cases, taking the total number of such infections in the country to 87.

After UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the nation will see a 'tidal wave' of Omicron variant, the country's health chief said the new strain poses the biggest threat of Covid pandemic so far.

According to Jenny Harries, the CEO of the UK Health Security Agency, the heavily mutated Omicron variant of Covid is "probably the most significant threat" since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the CNBC reported.

With West Bengal reporting its first Omicron case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asked the people to abide by Covid-19 norms and hoped that the pandemic situation might slow down by early next year.

Banerjee asked those who have taken the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine to take the second one.

Tokyo has confirmed its first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in a traveller from the United States. The infected individual's friend, whom she saw immediately after arrival, has since tested positive after going to a soccer game.

Four more Omicron cases have been reported in Telangana, taking the total number of cases of the new coronavirus variant in the state to seven as of Thursday. Of the four, three are from Kenya and one is a person of Indian origin, state Director of Public Health G Srinivasa Rao said.

Five more people in Tamil Nadu have been detected with S-Gene drop, indicating that they might also have been infected by Omicron variant of coronavirus, the government said on Thursday.

The Palestinian Health Ministry on Thursday said it has identified its first three cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in the occupied West Bank.

Ministry spokesman Kamal al-Shakrah said the three people live in different cities in the territory and had recently returned from abroad.
He did not say which countries they had visited.

In response to the discovery, the ministry said medical teams were tracking down and testing those who had recently come into contact with the three people.

Amid fast-increasing new COVID-19 infections, South African officials on Thursday urged people to get vaccinated before travelling for the holidays and attending festive gatherings.

South Africa's daily new confirmed cases climbed to more than 26,900 on Wednesday and 24,700 on Thursday, the highest yet in the new wave driven by the omicron variant — and reaching the peak of an earlier surge in June and July caused by delta.