The Omicron COVID-19 variant, which was discovered in southern Africa last month, has now spread to as many as 24 countries, including India. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the number is only expected to climb up. “WHO takes this development extremely seriously, and so should every country,” he added
TFM Desk
India on Thursday reported two cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19. Both cases have been identified in Karnataka, according to Union Home Ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal.
While one case is a male aged 46, the other is a male aged 66. No severe symptoms have been reported so far, the Union Health Ministry said.
“No severe symptoms of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 reported so far,” Lav Agarwal said during a media briefing on Thursday. “All Omicron related cases are found to have mild symptoms so far…In all such cases in the country and across the world so far, no severe symptom has been noted. WHO has said that its emerging evidence is being studied,” he added.
The potentially more contagious Omicron variant was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on November 24, and has been designated as a “Variant of Concern”.
Meanwhile, Zydus Cadila’s COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D will initially be used in seven states — Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal — which have been recommended to identify the districts with a high number of beneficiaries who have not received a single dose of a COVID vaccine for its introduction, according to Indian Express.
The Omicron COVID-19 variant, which was discovered in southern Africa last month, has now spread to as many as 24 countries, including India.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the countries hail from five or six WHO regions, and that the number is only expected to climb up. “WHO takes this development extremely seriously, and so should every country,” he added.
The WHO chief stated that the discovery of the Omicron variant should not “surprise us” since this is what viruses do and coronavirus will also do “as long as we allow it to continue spreading.”
“We are learning more all the time about Omicron, but there’s still more to learn about its effect on transmission, severity of disease, and the effectiveness of tests, therapeutics and vaccines,” Ghebreyesus told at a press briefing.
Reiterating the WHO’s message on not imposing blanket travel bans on travellers coming from affected countries, the United Nations (UN) health agency chief noted that countries should instead adopt “rational, proportional risk-reduction measures, in keeping with the international health regulations.”