Desk Report
Publish: 02 Dec 2021, 06:19 pm
Representational Image || Photo: Collected
Two
men in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have tested positive for the
Omicron coronavirus variant after returning from overseas.
The
men, who are 66 years and 46 years old, are currently under observation, a
government spokesperson said, reports BBC.
These
are the first cases of the new Omicron variant to be reported in India.
The
World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Omicron poses a "high
infection risk".
Officials
said all primary contacts and secondary contacts of the two men have been traced
and are being tested as well.
Six
samples from people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the national capital
Delhi, and another six samples from the western state of Maharashtra, have all
been sent for genome sequencing to determine the variant. Officials are still
awaiting results. Several other cities and states are following suit.
Starting
Wednesday, India announced new travel restrictions for international passengers
arriving from "at risk" countries a list that includes UK, South
Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Israel.
They
will be tested on arrival and cannot leave the airport without their test
results. Those who test positive will be isolated and treated, and their
samples will be sent for genome sequencing. Those who test negative must
quarantine at home for seven days and get tested again on the eighth day.
Different
Indian states have announced different policies for travellers - all passengers
flying in to Maharashtra from "at-risk" countries will have to spend
seven days in institutional quarantine. Delhi and Karnataka have said all
international passengers will have to undergo PCR tests on arrival.
"We
are immediately checking suspicious cases and conducting genome
sequencing," health minister Mansukh Mandaviya told Parliament on Tuesday.
"We
have learnt a lot during the Covid crisis. Today, we have a lot of resources
and laboratories. We can manage any situation," he added.
Last
week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the country's public health
preparedness, and urged people to continue following Covid safety norms.
Life
in India India has returned to normalcy in the wake of low case counts and a
steady vaccine drive.
The
country has been recording fewer than 10,000 new cases daily and has vaccinated
nearly 80% of the 940 million eligible adults with at least one dose so far.
But
the latter has begun to slow and the emergence of a new possibly more
infectious variant has raised the spectre of a third wave - a frightening
prospect given how the second wave devastated India in April and May as
hospitals ran out of beds, oxygen and medicines.
South
Africa alerted the world to the new variant on 24 November after it detected
its first case of Omicron. Several countries have since announced travel
restrictions.
Initial evidence suggests Omicron has a higher re-infection risk. But scientists say it will take another three weeks to know how the heavily mutated variant impacts the effectiveness of various vaccines.
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