Omicron's global scene disturbing, we are now operating at risky level: Govt official

A senior government official on Friday sounded alarm over COVID-19's recently-discovered Omicron variant cases detected in India. In a briefing on the pandemic's situation in the country, Dr V K Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog said, "...we are now operating at a risky and unacceptable level." adding, "We have to remember that both vaccines and masks are important. We should learn from the global situation."

Further, he said, "The United Kingdom and France are experiencing a massive wave due to this variant. The pandemic caused by the virus is full of surprises and unexpected turns, so it is very important to protect yourself from it." Talking about the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines against the Omicron virus, Paul said that it is effective against all variants. "The variants aren't so smart yet that they can surpass the vaccine protection," he shared.

The Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Balram Bhargava added that regular meetings are being organised to keep a watch on the global scenario and the COVID-19 scene in India with a focus on Omicron. "We need help to not spread panic. District level restrictions to be implemented where positivity over 5 per cent," he added.

Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry said that there are overall 25 Omicron cases reported from five states so far and all detected cases have mild symptoms. Of the total cases of Omicron variant in India, nine are detected in Rajasthan, three in Gujarat, 10 in Maharashtra, two in Karnataka and one in Delhi.

Throwing light on the Omicron variant, a highly contagious strain of COVID-19 virus first detected in southern African countries, Agarwal said that currently, 59 countries have reported 2,936 Omicron cases. "Besides this, 78,054 probable cases have been detected, their genome sequencing is underway," he added during a routine health ministry briefing.

Also Read: Omicron variant in India: 25 cases reported so far, all have mild symptoms, says govt