New Delhi: Delhi, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and other Indian states on Saturday exercised caution amid the emergence of a new covid version is called omicron which is expected to contain a large number of spike mutations.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Organized a high level meeting to discuss the COVID situation in the country and called for more proactiveness and caution in the light of the spread of the new version.
The omicron, or b.1.1.1.529, found in South Africa this week is expected to contain a large number of spike mutations that have never been seen before. It is classified as a type of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). It has also been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.
Indian states prepared fast
Several states in India have called for caution given the presence of Omicron.
In a meeting on Saturday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal directed senior officials to ensure strict adherence to COVID-appropriate behavior in public places and preparedness in hospitals to deal with any emergency situation.
The Kerala government said that in view of the presence of omicrons, precautions have been taken in the state, but there is nothing to worry about in the state at present.
Madhya Pradesh Minister Vishwas Sarang said that although no one has been found infected in this way in the state so far, the government is monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, Mumbai said on Saturday that all passengers arriving in the city from South Africa will have to undergo quarantine. The samples of these passengers will also be sent for genome sequencing.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the Chief Secretary, DGP and Health Secretary to ensure compliance of COVID-appropriate behavior in public places.
The number of Kovid-19 infected has reached 281 in the Medical College of Dharwad in Karnataka and new clusters are emerging in Bengaluru amid the threat of new variant ‘Omicron’.
The state government has already issued guidelines for those traveling from some foreign countries where the new version is prevalent, aimed at checking its spread.
PM Modi Officials asked to review easing of travel restrictions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stressed the need to be proactive and directed officials to review plans for easing international travel restrictions in light of “new evidence emerging”.
PM Modi, who chaired a comprehensive meeting to review the situation related to COVID-19 and vaccination in the country, was briefed about Ommicron by top health officials.
Its implications for India were also discussed during the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
During the meeting that lasted for nearly two hours, Prime Minister Modi talked about the need to be proactive in the light of the new version and urged people to be more vigilant and take appropriate precautions like maintaining social distancing, the PMO said.
The Prime Minister highlighted the need to monitor all international arrivals, their testing as per the guidelines, with special focus on countries identified as ‘at risk’.
The statement said he “asked officials to review plans to ease international travel restrictions in light of emerging new evidence”.
The Prime Minister’s directive to officials comes a day after the Civil Aviation Ministry announced the resumption of scheduled international flights to India from December 15 after a 20-month coronavirus-induced suspension.
‘Be vigilant’, WHO tells countries in Southeast Asia
The WHO has asked countries in the Southeast Asia region to increase surveillance, strengthen public health and social measures, and increase vaccination coverage amid omicron fears.
The global health body said that festivities and celebrations should include all precautionary measures and avoid crowds and large gatherings.
“We must not let our guard down at any cost,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO, South-East Asia Region.
“While Covid-19 cases are declining in most countries in our region, the increase in cases elsewhere in the world and the confirmation of a new version of the concern is a reminder of the continued risk and need for us to continue working on this. The virus is best to contain and prevent its spread,” she said in a statement.
More travel restrictions on Southern Africa
Australia and several other countries joined nations in imposing travel bans from southern Africa on Saturday after the discovery of the new Omicron coronavirus pandemic sparked global concern and triggered a sell-off in the market.
Meanwhile, authorities in Amsterdam said 61 of the nearly 600 people who arrived in the Dutch city on Friday from South Africa on two flights had tested positive for the coronavirus. Health officials were conducting further tests to see if those cases involved the new variant.
A minister in the German state of Hesse said on Saturday that a passenger returning from South Africa probably had the variant in Germany. Czech health officials said they were investigating a suspected case of the variant in a man who had spent time in Namibia.
‘New version in fluid motion’
America’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has said the new version is in “fluid motion” in South Africa and that American scientists, along with their colleagues in that country, are “very active” in testing the strain, obtaining facts and tracing. ” Huh. “In communication. Antibodies are alive or not.
Speaking to CNN, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said there’s definitely a newer version in South Africa “that has some mutations that are particularly concerning with transmittance, enhancement and possibly theft. of the immune response.”
Fauci, chief medical adviser to US President Joe Biden, said the new version was spreading rapidly in South Africa.
“So it’s in a fluid motion. We’re literally discovering something about it and in real time. We’re learning more and more about it,” he said.
Professor Callum Semple, a microbiologist at the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), cautioned about the worldwide headlines surrounding the new version.
Professor Semple said the new potentially highly permeable variant is not a disaster because vaccines can still protect against serious disease.
Professor Semple told the BBC: “This is not a disaster, and the headlines of some of my colleagues saying ‘this is terrible’, I think, are exaggerating the situation.”
(with inputs from agencies)
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Organized a high level meeting to discuss the COVID situation in the country and called for more proactiveness and caution in the light of the spread of the new version.
The omicron, or b.1.1.1.529, found in South Africa this week is expected to contain a large number of spike mutations that have never been seen before. It is classified as a type of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). It has also been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.
Indian states prepared fast
Several states in India have called for caution given the presence of Omicron.
In a meeting on Saturday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal directed senior officials to ensure strict adherence to COVID-appropriate behavior in public places and preparedness in hospitals to deal with any emergency situation.
The Kerala government said that in view of the presence of omicrons, precautions have been taken in the state, but there is nothing to worry about in the state at present.
Madhya Pradesh Minister Vishwas Sarang said that although no one has been found infected in this way in the state so far, the government is monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, Mumbai said on Saturday that all passengers arriving in the city from South Africa will have to undergo quarantine. The samples of these passengers will also be sent for genome sequencing.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the Chief Secretary, DGP and Health Secretary to ensure compliance of COVID-appropriate behavior in public places.
The number of Kovid-19 infected has reached 281 in the Medical College of Dharwad in Karnataka and new clusters are emerging in Bengaluru amid the threat of new variant ‘Omicron’.
The state government has already issued guidelines for those traveling from some foreign countries where the new version is prevalent, aimed at checking its spread.
PM Modi Officials asked to review easing of travel restrictions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stressed the need to be proactive and directed officials to review plans for easing international travel restrictions in light of “new evidence emerging”.
PM Modi, who chaired a comprehensive meeting to review the situation related to COVID-19 and vaccination in the country, was briefed about Ommicron by top health officials.
Its implications for India were also discussed during the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
During the meeting that lasted for nearly two hours, Prime Minister Modi talked about the need to be proactive in the light of the new version and urged people to be more vigilant and take appropriate precautions like maintaining social distancing, the PMO said.
The Prime Minister highlighted the need to monitor all international arrivals, their testing as per the guidelines, with special focus on countries identified as ‘at risk’.
The statement said he “asked officials to review plans to ease international travel restrictions in light of emerging new evidence”.
The Prime Minister’s directive to officials comes a day after the Civil Aviation Ministry announced the resumption of scheduled international flights to India from December 15 after a 20-month coronavirus-induced suspension.
‘Be vigilant’, WHO tells countries in Southeast Asia
The WHO has asked countries in the Southeast Asia region to increase surveillance, strengthen public health and social measures, and increase vaccination coverage amid omicron fears.
The global health body said that festivities and celebrations should include all precautionary measures and avoid crowds and large gatherings.
“We must not let our guard down at any cost,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO, South-East Asia Region.
“While Covid-19 cases are declining in most countries in our region, the increase in cases elsewhere in the world and the confirmation of a new version of the concern is a reminder of the continued risk and need for us to continue working on this. The virus is best to contain and prevent its spread,” she said in a statement.
More travel restrictions on Southern Africa
Australia and several other countries joined nations in imposing travel bans from southern Africa on Saturday after the discovery of the new Omicron coronavirus pandemic sparked global concern and triggered a sell-off in the market.
Meanwhile, authorities in Amsterdam said 61 of the nearly 600 people who arrived in the Dutch city on Friday from South Africa on two flights had tested positive for the coronavirus. Health officials were conducting further tests to see if those cases involved the new variant.
A minister in the German state of Hesse said on Saturday that a passenger returning from South Africa probably had the variant in Germany. Czech health officials said they were investigating a suspected case of the variant in a man who had spent time in Namibia.
‘New version in fluid motion’
America’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has said the new version is in “fluid motion” in South Africa and that American scientists, along with their colleagues in that country, are “very active” in testing the strain, obtaining facts and tracing. ” Huh. “In communication. Antibodies are alive or not.
Speaking to CNN, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said there’s definitely a newer version in South Africa “that has some mutations that are particularly concerning with transmittance, enhancement and possibly theft. of the immune response.”
Fauci, chief medical adviser to US President Joe Biden, said the new version was spreading rapidly in South Africa.
“So it’s in a fluid motion. We’re literally discovering something about it and in real time. We’re learning more and more about it,” he said.
Professor Callum Semple, a microbiologist at the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), cautioned about the worldwide headlines surrounding the new version.
Professor Semple said the new potentially highly permeable variant is not a disaster because vaccines can still protect against serious disease.
Professor Semple told the BBC: “This is not a disaster, and the headlines of some of my colleagues saying ‘this is terrible’, I think, are exaggerating the situation.”
(with inputs from agencies)