New Delhi, Nov 30, : So far, there has not been any Omicron variant detected in India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said to the Rajya Sabha Tuesday. He was answering a question during Question Hour.
He said that the Covid situation in the country is under control and that measures are being taken to prevent it from getting worse.To date, 124 crore doses of vaccines have been given to eligible people.
The Union Health Secretary presided over a review meeting with states and UTs earlier in the morning on the new Covid variant.The states were advised that they should increase their efforts to combat the new Covid variant. Testing for early detection of positive cases and its management.
The Centre also directed that the ‘Har Ghar Dastak” campaign be extended until December 31, with a focus on the 100 percent first dose and the completion of backlogs for second dose vaccinations.
The states were also asked for timely testing to ensure early identification and adequate infrastructure.
The World Health Organisation stated Monday that the global risk associated with the Omicron was “very high”.
Omicron, which is considered a ‘variant of concern’, is a highly divergent variant that has a high number mutations, including 26-32 during the spike.Some of these mutations are concerning and could be associated with higher transmissibility and immune escape potential.
The global health body acknowledged that there are still many uncertainties.
It stated that Omicron could be spread further at the global level if it is found in mutations that might confer immunity escape potential and possibly transmissibility advantages.
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