Fears about the new COVID “type of concern” B.1.1.1.529, name omicronA sudden jump in the number of vaccinations and inquiries into hospitals for booster shots were felt in the country’s financial capital and across Maharashtra.
On Saturday, the state conducted 8,39,005 vaccinations – the highest single-day vaccinations recorded in November. With the epidemic curve flattening in Maharashtra, 92 lakh people have not received the second dose of vaccination so far. Out of this 3.5 lakh are from Mumbai.
“Every time there is a new look or there is a rise in cases, people rush to take advantage of it. In the last two days, the number of beneficiaries in private hospitals has increased by almost 10%. This number will increase further in the next one week. I hope this scare helps us in completing 100% vaccination,” said Dr Gautam Bhansali of Bombay Hospital, who is the BMC-appointed coordinator. COVID-19 beds in private hospitals.
The new variant, previously found in South Africa, has now been reported in several other countries, including the UK, Israel and Australia. No case has been reported in India so far.
Questions have also been raised regarding the booster dose.
“Those who have started the mass vaccination program in January 2021 are more apprehensive as we know that vaccines remain effective for 6-7 months. We are getting a large number of queries from the elderly population regarding the booster shot, who were vaccinated in April,” said Dr Joy Chakraborty, Chief Operating Officer, Hinduja Hospital.
As of November 28, more than 3.8 cores – about 40 out of every 100 persons in the state – had been fully vaccinated. Doctors say thorough vaccination will provide protection against the newer variant, which is highly permeable, although there are concerns that it may be resistant to vaccines currently available.
“In just two weeks, O’Micron transformed delta version in South Africa. It is 500% times more permeable. Thus, WHO had to fast track it and declared it a ‘form of concern’. But as early reports from South Africa suggest that most infected patients have mild symptoms, there is a possibility that it may be less virulent,” said Dr Shashank Joshi, part of the COVID-19 task force.
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