Cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus are rising in India with Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Delhi reporting new cases on Sunday. This variant, which emerged from Botswana in Africa, has been detected in around 40 countries and public health experts have advised extreme caution. Here are the five developments regarding the Omicron variant.
1. India’s Omicron tally climbs to 21: So far, India has reported 21 cases of Omicron with 17 fresh cases being reported on Sunday.
2. Fresh cases reported in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Delhi: While seven fresh cases were reported in Maharashtra’s Pune district, in Jaipur, nine cases of the Omicron variant were confirmed — all of whom had attended the same wedding. In Delhi, a man in his 30s was found to be infected with the new variant and admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital.
ALSO READ: Is Omicron More Transmissible But Less Virulent- What Experts Know So Far
3. UK adds pre-departure travel tests, bans travel from Nigeria
All international arrivals to Britain, including children over the age of 12, will need to take a pre-departure test from 0400 GMT on Tuesday. It must be taken a maximum of 48 hours before departure.
In addition, from 0400 GMT on Monday, December 6, Nigeria will be on the red travel list. It joins several southern African nations which were put on it after the Omicron variant was first detected late last month.
4. US makes it mandatory for all incoming passengers to carry negative Covid-19 test report
The US has made it mandatory for all incoming passengers, including those from India, to carry a negative COVID-19 test report or proof of recovery from the contagion amidst a rising number of cases of the new Omicron variant.
5. It does not look like there’s a great degree of severity to it: Dr Fauci
US President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, has emphasised the need for additional information about the severity of Omicron, however, noted that there does not appear to be “a great degree of severity” to it.
“Thus far, it does not look like there’s a great degree of severity to it. But we have really got to be careful before we make any determinations that it is less severe or it really doesn’t cause any severe illness, comparable to Delta,” Dr Fauci said.
