London: Here are the latest updates about the new coronavirus variant.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday set a target of giving booster doses of Covid-19 vaccine to everyone above the age of 18 by the end of December as a “tidal wave” of Omicron was looming, AFP reported. In a televised address, the prime minister said that two vaccine doses will not be enough to contain it. His comments came hours after the UK’s coronavirus alert level was raised to four due to the spread of the new strain. Level four indicates a high or rising level of transmission.
The Omicron variant appears to spread faster than the Delta strain and preliminary findings suggest that it reduces the efficacy of vaccines, the World Health Organization said on Sunday. The global health agency, in its technical brief, added that Omicron seems to have a “growth advantage” over Delta, based on limited evidence available presently.
The Covid-19 vaccination booster shots can wait, said Dr Samiran Panda, head of epidemiology and communicable diseases, Indian Council of Medical Research on Sunday, The Hindu reported. He said that the current focus should be to fully vaccinate 80% of the eligible population.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has announced aggressive measures to curb the spread of coronavirus in Dharavi – Asia’s largest slum, The Indian Express reported. The move comes after a 49-year-old man from Dharavi had tested positive for Omicron variant of coronavirus on Friday. The measures will include cleaning of toilets five times a day and door-to-door testing.
Tamil Nadu Health minister Ma Subramanian on Sunday asked all educational institutions in the state to ensure all of its students above the age of 18 are fully vaccinated, India Today reported. The minister’s order came as clusters of coronavirus cases were reported among students at the Anna University campus in Chennai last week.
Assam’s Regional Medical Research Centre has created a kit that can detect the new Omicron variant in two hours. The kit is being produced in bulk by a Kolkata-based company, GCC biotech on a public-private partnership model.
Canada said it will recognise molecular coronavirus tests conducted at an accredited lab in South Africa for residents returning home, Reuters reported. It was previously criticised for asking stranded passengers in South Africa to get a negative Covid-19 test report from a different country altogether.
Israel on Sunday put the United Kingdom and Denmark on its “red list”, banning passengers coming from these countries, Reuters reported. The country has 50 African countries in the “red list”.
South Africa has entered its fourth wave of pandemic as the country saw a surge in cases after the discovery of the Omicron variant in November, the Hindustan Times reported. On Sunday, it recorded 37,975 cases. Country’s President Cyril Ramaphosa was one of the people who tested positive for the virus on Sunday, his office said.
Coronavirus has infected 27.01 people all over the world and caused 53.06 lakh deaths since the pandemic broke out in January 2020, according to Johns Hopkins University. Scroll. In
