Coronavirus Omicron India December 2nd Highlights: ‘Not surprised,’ says top virologist Dr Kang as Karnataka reports Omicron infections

India has not imposed any travel curbs like some other countries that have stopped flights from regions or nations they relate to Omicron but has intensified surveillance mechanisms and protocol for those who happen to come from ‘at risk’ countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. Asked about the ‘at risk’ countries list of India and the Omicron threat, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said it is an “evolving situation”. He said that there were 11 entries in the ‘at risk’ list of nations and with the first one being European countries, including the UK, and therefore, the total number of countries on the list was much higher. The list was a result of a “technical decision” based on evidence by India’s health regulatory authorities, Bagchi said. – PTI

I am not surprised and this was to be expected, says Dr Gagandeep Kang, India’s reputed virologist and the professor at the Christian Medical College, Vellore. She feels what is only needed now is enhanced surveillance and lot of sequencing.

• 2 people found positive for the Omicron variant of COVID19. One person is about a 66-year-old, South African national, who has gone back. Another person is a 46-year-old doctor. He doesn’t have any travel history: Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar
• Out of his (doctor’s) primary & secondary contact, 5 people tested positive for COVID19. So a total of 6 people have been isolated, admitted to govt hospital. None of them showing any serious symptoms. All these people are fully vaccinated:Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar
• The person who has left for South Africa via Dubai had presented a negative certificate for the virus, from a private lab. His primary & secondary contacts (total 264) were found negative. So it means to say that his certificate may be true:Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar

Tamil Nadu clocked 715 fresh COVID-19 infections on Thursday, pushing the total case count to 27.28 lakh while the toll rose to 36,504 with 12 more deaths. Recoveries outnumbered new infections with 748 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 26,83,691, leaving 8,155 active infections, a medical bulletin said. A total of 1,01,818 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined to 5.44 crore. Chennai and Coimbatore continued to witness a rise in new infections by adding 123 and 121 cases, respectively, while the remaining was spread across other districts. – PTI

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, says “The confirmation of Omicron Variant of Concern today by India, the first two cases in WHO South-East Asia Region, was not unexpected in view of the interconnected world that we live in. This emphasizes on the need for all countries to step up surveillance, to be on alert and rapidly detect any importation and take measures to curtail further spread of the virus. The response measures for all variants, including Omicron, is the same as that for SARs CoV2. Comprehensive and tailored public health and social measures by governments, and strict adherence to preventive and precautionary measures by individuals, is a must.  People must wear well-fitting mask which covers their nose and mouth well, keep distance, avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces, keep hands clean, cover cough and sneeze and get vaccinated. And continue to take all precautionary measures even after getting  vaccinated. All travelers must adhere to public health and social measures at all times and remain vigilant for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

Omicron variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Researchers around the world are conducting studies to better understand transmissibility, severity and immune escape capabilities of Omicron. WHO commends countries which have been able to quickly detect and report cases of the new Variant of Concern.”

Greeks who are over age 60 and refuse coronavirus vaccinations could be hit with monthly fines of more than one-quarter of their pensions – a get-tough policy that the country’s politicians say will cost votes but save lives. In Israel, potential carriers of the new omicron variant could be tracked by the nation’s domestic security agency in seeming defiance of a Supreme Court ruling from the last go-round. Weekly protests in the Netherlands over the country’s 5 pm lockdown and other new restrictions have descended into violence, despite what appears to be overwhelming acceptance of the rules. With the delta variant of COVID-19 pushing up cases in Europe and growing fears over the omicron variant, governments around the world are weighing new measures for populations tired of hearing about restrictions and vaccines. It’s a thorny calculus made more difficult by the prospect of backlash, increased social divisions and, for many politicians, the fear of being voted out of office. – AP

South East Asian region, including India, has only 3.1 per cent of world’s COVID-19 cases in last one week: Govt (PTI)

Scientific reasoning for providing boosters at what timing, for which vaccine, all that is under examination. Currently, let’s be very clear, our priority is very clear – complete the task of vaccinating all adults with both doses: Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog (ANI)

The Omicron variant of COVID19 is being carefully examined, will take decisions on the basis of it, it’s an ongoing discussion within our technical and scientific circles: VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog over ban on intl flights, booster dose and pediatric vaccination (ANI)

Increased COVID-19 vaccine uptake need of the hour, do not delay in getting fully vaccinated, says VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog (ANI)

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: Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry (PTI)

Need not panic about Omicron detection but awareness absolutely essential; follow Coivd-appropriate behaviour, avoid gatherings: Govt (PTI)

Two cases of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected in Karnataka, the Union government said on Thursday while asking people not to panic but follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated without delay.

Both the patients are men aged 66 years and 46 years with mild symptoms. Severe symptoms have not been noted, an official said during a press conference. He said following the detection of the two Omicron cases through the INSACOG network, all their primary and secondary contacts were traced in time and were being tested. | Read More

Both the patients are men aged 66 years and 46 years with mild symptoms. Severe symptoms have not been noted, an official said during a press conference. (PTI) 

No severe symptoms of the Omicron Variant of COVID19 reported so far: Lav Agarwal, JS, Union Health Ministry (ANI)

Passengers arriving from ‘at risk’ countries need to undergo RT-PCR test on arrival. If found positive for COVID, they’ll be treated under clinical management protocol. If tested negative they’ll follow, home quarantine for 7 days: Lav Agarwal, JS, Union Health Ministry (ANI) 

All their contacts have been identified and they are under monitoring. The protocol is being followed: Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry (ANI)

Two cases of Omicron Variant reported in the country so far. Both cases from Karnataka: Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry (ANI)

Weekly Covid positivity rate over 10 pc in 15 districts, between 5 and 10 pc in 18 districts: Govt (PTI)

84.3 per cent of adult population in India got 1st dose of Covid vaccine, 49 per cent got 2nd dose: Govt (PTI) 

Around 29 countries have reported 373 cases of Omicron variant so far: Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry (ANI) 

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday held a meeting with airport and port health officers as well as other authorities over screening and surveillance at all points of entries amid concerns over the new coronavirus variant ‘Omicron’, official sources said. The health ministry has been advising states and Union territories to keep a strict vigil and undertake surveillance of international passengers coming to the country through various airports. Testing of samples of international travellers coming from ‘at risk’ countries on the first day and of specified category of passengers on the eighth day needs to be scrupulously done, it had stressed. International passengers from at-risk countries are being advised to wait at airports till the report of the RT-PCR test is available. States/UTs have been asked to send all positive samples for genome sequencing to INSACOG labs (mapped with states) promptly and that the states should undertake contact tracing of positive individuals and follow up for 14 days. The new potentially more contagious B.1.1.529 variant was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 24, and has been designated as a “Variant of Concern” by the global body, which named it “Omicron”. A ‘variant of concern’ is the WHO’s top category of worrying COVID-19 variants. (PTI)

Kerala and Maharashtra are the two states that have more than 10,000 actives cases – 55% of the cases of the country are reported in these two states: Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry#COVID19 (ANI)

Omicron could become the dominant COVID-19 variant in France by the end of January, the top scientific adviser said on Thursday, after both France and the United States reported their first cases and countries around the world tightened curbs. The first known U.S. case was a fully vaccinated person in California who returned to the United States from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive seven days later. The French case, in the greater Paris region, was a passenger arriving from Nigeria. U.S. President Joe Biden is working on a strategy to fight COVID-19 this winter and sources briefed on the matter told Reuters one step would be extending requirements for travellers to wear masks through mid-March. A formal announcement is expected on Thursday. (Reuters)

The World Health Organization (WHO) is deploying a surge team to South Africa’s Gauteng province, epicentre of the outbreak of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, to help with surveillance and contact tracing, it said on Thursday. The WHO’s Regional Emergency Director for Africa, Salam Gueye, also said it was providing technical assistance to boost the production and distribution of medical oxygen in Botswana, where Omicron has also been detected. (Reuters)

Greece has detected its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, in a Greek citizen on the island of Crete who had returned from South Africa last month, its Health Minister Thanos Plevris told reporters on Thursday. The man, who has mild syptoms, and all his contacts have been quarantined, the head of Greece’s public health agency EODY  Theoklis Zaoutis said. His contacts have tested negative so far and have been closely watched by Greek authorities, he added. Increasing numbers of countries are reporting cases of the variant, which the World Health Organization has said carries a very high global risk of causing surges of infection. (Reuters)

South Africa is seeing an increase in COVID-19 reinfections in patients contracting Omicron in a way that it did not experience with previous variants, a microbiologist from the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases said. “Previous infection used to protect against Delta but now with Omicron that doesn’t seem to be the case,” said Professor Anne von Gottberg on Thursday during an online briefing organised by the World Health Organization. (Reuters)

As many as 380 people have returned to Odisha from countries hit by the new coronavirus strain, Omicron, earlier this week, and all of them have tested negative, an official said on Thursday. The new variant, first identified in southern Africa, contains a large number of spike-protein mutations, suggesting re-infection risk and potential vaccine resistance. People returning from the ‘at-risk’ countries will have to be in home quarantine for seven days, despite testing negative for COVID-19. They will be examined again on the eighth day, Public Health Director Niranjan Mishra said. As many as 224 people returned on Monday and 156 the day after, the health official said at a press conference, adding that the districts had been informed for surveillance. The travellers came to the state only after testing negative at the international airports. The World Health Organization stated that there were 26 countries so far where the new variant has been detected, he added. Meanwhile, a college in Dhenkanal municipality was sealed on Thursday after 33 students were found to have contracted COVID-19. Three to four days ago, four students at a hostel of Saikrupa Residential College at Kunjakanta were detected with the disease, following which others there were tested, the official said. Out of 210 samples, 33 tested positive and the patients were moved to isolation. The area has been declared a containment zone for 10 days, he added. (PTI)

The UK’s medicines regulator on Thursday approved a new antibody treatment against COVID-19, which it believes will also be effective against new variants such as Omicron. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said Xevudy or sotrovimab is for people with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of developing severe disease. Developed by GSK and Vir Biotechnology, sotrovimab is a single monoclonal antibody and the drug works by binding to the spike protein on the outside of the COVID-19 virus. This in turn prevents the virus from attaching to and entering human cells, so that it cannot replicate in the body. “I am pleased to say that we now have another safe and effective COVID-19 treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab), for those at risk of developing severe illness,” said Dr June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive. “This is yet another therapeutic that has been shown to be effective at protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19, and signals another significant step forward in our fight against this devastating disease. With no compromises on quality, safety and effectiveness, the public can trust that the MHRA have conducted a robust and thorough assessment of all the available data,” she said. (AP)

The Delhi government is likely to propose to the DDMA to make the first dose of anti-Covid vaccine mandatory by December 15 for entry to public places and also incentivise people with cash prizes, discounts and lottery to encourage them in getting inoculated, officials said on Thursday. It may also be proposed that by March 31 next year getting fully vaccinated be made a must for entry to public places like malls and metro stations, they said. They cited examples of European countries that have adopted a vaccine transport system thereby limiting access to public places for the unvaccinated. The officials also said that countries like the US, Philippines, Moscow and Mexico have incentivised vaccination. In a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority held in September to review Delhi’s COVID-19 situation, the city health secretary had suggested many measures, including making vaccination mandatory for entry to malls and metro trains. (PTI)

The Centre’s ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign for door-to-door Covid vaccination has led to a 5.9 per cent rise in the first dose coverage and an 11.7 per cent hike in the second dose coverage till November 30, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Thursday. Reviewing the progress made under the campaign with the health secretaries and NHM Mission Directors of states and Union Territories via video conference, he appreciated their performance during the drive. Launched on November 3, the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign aims at awareness, mobilisation and vaccination of all eligible beneficiaries through house-to-house visits in all states and Union territories. It was highlighted that although the campaign has increased the pace of vaccination, around 12 crore beneficiaries are still due for their second dose, a Health Ministry statement said. The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 125 crore. Of this, 79.13 crore (84.3 per cent) beneficiaries have been administered the first dose and 45.82 crore (49 per cent) got the second dose, according to a provisional report. (PTI)

Scientists have found a possible trigger behind the extremely rare blood clots linked to AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, an advance that may help design new and improved preventives against the viral disease. An international team of researchers investigated vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), also known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a life-threatening condition seen in a very small number of people after receiving the adenovirus vaccines. “The mechanism which results in this condition, termed vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), was unknown,” said corresponding author of the study Abhishek Singharoy, from Arizona State University, US. The researchers at Arizona and Cardiff University in the UK worked with AstraZeneca to analyse whether the ultra-rare side effect could be linked to the viral vector which is used in many vaccines, including those from Oxford/AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, suggest it is the viral vector — in this case, an adenovirus used to shuttle the coronavirus’ genetic material into cells — and the way it binds to platelet factor 4 (PF4) once injected that could be the potential mechanism. In very rare cases, the scientists suggest, the viral vector may enter the bloodstream and bind to PF4, where the immune system then views this complex as foreign. (PTI)

Zydus Cadila’s COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D will initially be used in seven states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, which have been recommended to identify the districts with a high number of of beneficiaries who have not received a single dose of a Covid vaccine for its introduction. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, who reviewed the status and progress of the “Har Ghar Dastak” campaign with the health secretaries and National Health Mission (NHM) directors of the states and Union territories through a video-conference on Thursday, advised the seven states to identify the districts with a high number of first dose left out for the introduction of ZyCoV-D, a statement issued by the health ministry said. The seven states are Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. ZyCov-D, which is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be cleared by India’s drug regulator for those aged 12 years and above, will only be administered to adults in the seven states as of now, sources said. The national training process for ZyCoV-D administration has been completed, the statement said. The seven states have been asked to plan sessions based on the PharmaJet injector and identify vaccinators to be trained for using it for vaccination, it added. (PTI)

All 477 people who travelled from 11 countries to Tamil Nadu tested negative for Omicron. Separate wards have been set up at 4 Medical College Hospitals in Chennai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Madurai. RT-PCR fee of Rs 600 won’t be charged for underprivileged: TN Health Min Ma Subramanian (ANI)

The Opposition on Thursday hit out at the Modi government over the COVID-19 management, accusing it of favouring BJP-ruled states in allocation of vaccines and dubbed the celebrations over the 100-crore vaccination mark as premature. Initiating the debate in the Lok Sabha on the COVID-19 pandemic, Shiv Sena leader Vinayak Raut lamented that Parliament was discussing the issue 21 months after the outbreak of the disease and at a time when cases were on the decline. Referring to the Omicron variant of the virus, Raut demanded close co-ordination among state governments and the Centre. “There should be clarity in the Centre’s directives on Omicron,” the Lok Sabha member from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg in Maharashtra said. On COVID-19 vaccination, Raut accused the Centre of allocating vaccine doses to BJP-ruled states in excess and at the cost of non-BJP ruled states. “The prime minister’s responsibility is for the entire 130 crore population. It should not be so that you look at Maharashtra with a sly glance, help Gujarat in good measure and make maximum allocations to Uttar Pradesh because it is going to polls. Allocations should be made on the basis of the population,” the Sena leader said. He also described as “premature” the celebrations in India over crossing the 100 crore milestone in COVID-19 vaccinations. (PTI)

Schools in India are likely to see a 14 per cent drop in students attending in-person classes due to concerns sparked by ‘Omicron’, the new variant of coronavirus, according to a nationwide survey. The findings of a nationwide survey conducted by online platform LocalCircles indicate the number of parents not sending their ward to school for in-person classes are likely to rise. “In a week, over 25 countries have reported the presence of Omicron with scientists confirming that it is more transmissible than the Delta variant and could evade vaccines up to some extent. “The survey, which received 15,875 responses from parents residing in 308 districts of India, finds that schools in the country are likely to see a 14 per cent drop in students attending in-person classes,” it stated. The survey mentioned that doctors in South Africa, where the ‘Omiron’ variant was first reported, have found a higher number of Covid cases of the new variant in the population aged under 25 years. The World Health Organisation has designated the new SARS-Cov-2 variant as a ‘variant of concern’. According to the survey findings, 58 pc of parents will be sending their children for in-person classes till this week. (PTI)

Over 15.79 lakh people were vaccinated against COVID-19 during a mega campaign organised by the Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday, an official said on Thursday. A total of 15,79,432 people took the jab at 12,160 vaccination centres set up across the state till 8 pm on Wednesday, the official said. The state government has set a target of vaccinating the entire eligible population above the age of 18 with both the doses of the vaccine by December end, he said. As per the data provided by the state health department, at least 8,80,61,615 doses have been administered to eligible beneficiaries in the state so far. As many as 5,12,16,211 people have received the first dose, while 3,68,45,404 have taken both jabs of the vaccine, it was stated. (PTI)

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine offers an effectiveness of 87 per cent in preventing infection, over 95 per cent against severe disease, and 98 per cent against death, according to a study. The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas journal, evaluated the five-month effectiveness of the Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccine as part of an observational study. Funded by Moderna, the study included 352,878 recipients of two doses of the vaccine matched to 352,878 unvaccinated individuals by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. “This research provides reassuring evidence of the high effectiveness of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in preventing infection, hospitalisation, and death from COVID-19,” said Katia Bruxvoort, an adjunct investigator with Kaiser Permanente, an integrated health care organisation in Southern California, US. “One of the important aspects of this study was that it included more than 700,000 adults who were racially and ethnically diverse and had a broad range of underlying conditions including chronic diseases, immunocompromising conditions, and autoimmune conditions,” Bruxvoort said. In the study, vaccinated individuals received two doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from December 18, 2020, to March 31, 2021. Individuals in both groups were followed until June 30, 2021. During follow-up, COVID-19 infections occurred among 289 vaccinated patients and 1,144 unvaccinated patients. The researchers found that the vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 infection was 87 per cent. (PTI)