Mumbai : India on Thursday reported its first two cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 from Karnataka–in a South African national and a Bengaluru doctor with no travel history and both men fully vaccinated–even as the Centre faced questions from opposition parties on a timeline for a booster vaccine.
The Union Health Ministry while confirming the detection of two cases of Omicron variant in Bengaluru asked people not to panic but follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated without delay. It also said the scientific reasoning for booster vaccine doses is under examination and that priority is to complete the task of receiving both jabs of COVID vaccine. Besides the cases detected in India, 373 cases of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in 29 nations so far, according to an official.
Jaipur: 4 of family returning from South Africa test Covid positive
Four persons of a family in Rajasthan’s Jaipur, including two children, who returned from South Africa have tested COVID-19 positive. Their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to confirm the presence of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Reinfections 3 Times More Likely With Omicron Compared To Delta: Study
A preliminary study by South African scientists published Thursday suggests the Omicron variant is three times more likely to cause reinfections compared to the Delta or Beta strains.
The findings, based on data collected by the country’s health system, provides the first epidemiological evidence about Omicron’s ability to evade immunity from prior infection.
The paper was uploaded on a medical preprint server and has not yet been peer-reviewed.
There were 35,670 suspected reinfections among 2.8 million individuals with positive tests until November 27. Cases were considered reinfections if they tested positive 90 days apart.
Omicron Hits Tourism Sector With 20% Cancellations
The tourism sector that was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic for a whole year in 2020 due to lockdowns and travel restrictions is yet again facing a possible crisis. Cancellations have increased during the holiday season, say tour operators.
Fresh travel restrictions by Maharashtra has led to worry that this could hit domestic tourism too if other states follow suit.
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