Showing posts with label Omicron. Show all posts

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Sunday, January 30, 2022

A different Omicron story from Kol ICUs

A different Omicron story from Kol ICUs

Prithvijit.Mitra@timesgroup.com

30.01.2022

Kolkata: Instances of severe respiratory distress and Covid pneumonia has been rising among ICU patients across private hospitals in Kolkata over last two weeks.

This has prompted doctors to suspect that even Omicron can trigger lower respiratory tract illnesses, especially in the case of patients who are ‘unresponsive’ to vaccines.

A section of elderly patients with comorbidities may not have developed antibodies adequately, exposing them to a more severe disease, they argued. So far, Omicron-induced Covid had largely been restricted to upper respiratory tract and hence been mild.

There could be three reasons behind a spurt in the number of severe cases over the last 10 days, said CMRI Hospital director of pulmonology

Raja Dhar. “First, the residual Delta cases seem to be causing severe Covid more frequently than they did even during the second wave when it was the dominant strain. Secondly, a small percentage of Omicron cases have been as virulent as Delta due to a mutation that hasalmostwipedoutthedifference between the two. Finally, those still unvaccinated or partiallyvaccinated have been getting a more severe disease,” he said.

Monday, January 24, 2022

‘Omicron BA.2 dominant in symptomatic Nagpur cases’

‘Omicron BA.2 dominant in symptomatic Nagpur cases’

Sarfaraz.Ahmed@timesgroup.com

23.01.2022

Nagpur: The new Omicron lineage BA. 2 is turning out to be the dominant variant among symptomatic patients in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district, according to Neeri’s latest genome sequencing study. As has been the case with the Omicron variant thus far, people testing Covid positive in the past 30 days were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.

The earlier three genome sequencing series conducted by Neeri were done on 201samples randomly collected between January 1 and 16 from different parts of Nagpur city. In this fourth series, sequencing was done on 89 samples of symptomatic cases, including six admitted to a private hospital. These samples were collected between January17 and 21 by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). The BA. 2 doesn’t exhibit ‘S’ gene deletion, thus making it difficult to detect without genome sequencing. Authorities had been relying on ‘S’ gene target failure (SGTF) RT-PCR kits to look out for Omicron suspects among new Covid cases.

The Neeri study dispels doubts among doctors regarding patients in ICUs. Doctors had assumed Delta variant patients required oxygen support or intensive care in the third wave. The latest findings led to a change in treatment protocol. “The Sars-Cov-2 study showed distribution of Omicron lineage B1. 1. 529, BA. 1, and BA. 2 among the studied symptomatic patients. The percentage share was B. 1. 1529 (31. 5%), BA. 1 (2. 3%) and BA. 2 (66. 2%),” said Dr Krishna Khairnar, head of environmental virology cell at Neeri.

Thursday, January 13, 2022

‘96% of patients on O2 beds in Mumbai didn’t even take 1 jab’

Richa.Pinto@timesgroup.com

13.01.2022

Mumbai: BMC commissioner Iqbal Chahal on Friday said that vaccination works and civic data shows that 96% of the 1,900-odd patients on oxygen beds in Mumbai have not taken even a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, the BMC has decided that unlike the first and second waves where positivity was the benchmark to impose a lockdown or restrictions, in the third wave further curbs would be imposed only if there is a burden of high hospitalisation rate and steep rise in oxygen usage.

“Ninety-six per cent of the patients who are admitted on oxygen beds in 186 hospitals of Mumbai are unvaccinated. Otherwise, we have seen so far that vaccinated people are not reaching ICUs. We have 21 lakh vaccine stock available with us. The current hurdle in ensuring the entire adult population is vaccinated is the 84-day gap required between the two doses. Today, too, our vaccination percentage is the best in India,” Chahal said in a TV interview. He said people should not think of the Omicron variant as a flu, adding if unvaccinated it definitely can take an infected person to the ICU.

The BMC has administered both the doses to more than one crore people in Mumbai while close to 90 lakh have received one vaccine shot.

Chahal also reiterated further restrictions would be imposed in the third wave only if there is a burden of hospitalisations and oxygen use increases steeply. On Covid-related deaths, Chahal said they were in control with 19 deaths in the past 16 days.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Omicron pushes US hospital cases to record high

11.01.2022

Covid-19 hospitalisations in the US reached a fresh high of 1,32,646, according to a Reuters tally on Monday, surpassing the record of 1,32,051 set in January last year, amid a surge of the Omicron variant.

Hospitalisations have increased steadily since late December, doubling in the last three weeks. Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, and Wisconsin have reported record levels of hospitalized Covid-19 patients recently, according to the Reuters analysis. While potentially less severe, health officials have warned that the sheer number of infections caused by the Omicron variant could strain the hospitals’ systems.

REUTERS

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Siddha Covid care centre opened at Periyar Thidal

Chennai: A Siddha Covid care centre, comprising 41 beds, was inaugurated in Periyar Maniammai hospital at Periyar Thidal in Vepery on Tuesday. It is the first Siddha Covid care centre to be inaugurated in the state at a time when the spread of Covid and Omicron variant is on the rise, an official press release said.

Health minister Ma Subramanian said that the guidelines for people infected with Omicron variant have been released.

Pointing out that those with mild Omicron symptoms, who fully vaccinated, can isolate at their homes, he said, they can return to their routine duty after five days following a negative RT-PCR test.

TNN

Omicron-like strain that also shows S-gene drop detected

Umesh.Isalkar@timesgroup.com

05.01.2022

Pune: The SARS-CoV-2’s C. 36. 3. 1variant carrying Omicron-like genetic variation has been identified for the first time in India, a senior scientist of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) told TOI on Tuesday.

The variant, earlier reported from some European countries, is detectable with existing diagnostics. However, its identical Omicron-like S-gene target dropout/failure is likely to muddle the use of specialised RT-PCR test kits currently being utilised to sift probable Omicron cases from the daily caseload for “accelerated genome sequencing” to track the extent of community spread of Omicron in the country.

“For the first time in India, we have identified C. 36. 3. 1 that is neither a variant of concern nor of interest or under investigation as of now. It is only a part of the WHO’s list of monitored variants,” the scientist said.

The mutations carried by the C. 36. 3. 1 make it a variant that should be followed. “The C. 36. 3. 1 has a total of 36 defining mutations, of which nine are in the Spike (S) gene region as against 32 mutations identified in the S-gene of Omicron variant, which has a total of 52 mutations,” the scientist said.

Docs & paramedics put out of action, experts fear pressure on health infra

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

05.01.2022

New Delhi: As India witnesses the third wave of Covid-19 led by Omicron variant, a large number of frontline workers, including doctors, paramedics, police and health department officials, in several cities across the country are turning out to be Covid positive. Experts have voiced concern that this might put pressure on the healthcare infrastructure.

In Delhi, 68 healthcare workers, including 15 doctors, at AIIMS and 49 health staff at Safdarjung reported positive. Lady Hardinge Medical College, Ram Manohar Lohia, Hindu Rao, Lok Nayak and Ambedkar hospitals have also reported multiple cases among their staff members. At Lucknow’s Medanta Hospital, 33 health workers, including one emergency medical officer (EMO), turned out to be Covid positive. Director Dr Rakesh Kapoor said, “Except for the EMO, all the others were nurses or nursing assistants. They all were asymptomatic at the time of testing. No patient or attendant has been affected because of them. ”

In Patiala’s Government Medical College and Hospital, the authorities made students vacate hostels after over105 faculty members and students, including 18 senior doctors and 48 junior residents, tested positive.

In Gaya, altogether 102 med- icos at Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH) tested positive on Tuesday. ANMMCH principal Arjun Chaudhary said offline classes have been suspended and the library has also been closed. “All the medicos, who have tested positive, are in isolation,” he said. spared other frontline workers, including policemen and bureaucrats. Around a dozen police personnel, including additional director generals and inspector generals, have tested positive in Jharkahnd.

Four IAS officers of Gujarat cadre, including two health & family welfare department officials, also tested positive.

In Chhattisgarh, IG Sanjeev Shukla and DIGs Vineet Khanna and Rajesh Agrawal tested positive. The authorities fear a spurt of Corona cases in the police HQ. In Maoist-hit Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, five SSB personnel were found infected in Kanhargaon on Tuesday, to add to the 38 CoBRA commandos who tested positive in Sukma on Monday.

‘Omicron variant has significant growth advantage over Delta’

05.01.2022

“All pandemic indices have raised a red flag. The infection willnow continueto increase. We still have lots of unvaccinated people among the elderly. Worse, we continue to see people recklessly violating pan- demic norms. We can’t give up on masks and social distancing norms now,” said National Instituteof Epidemiology deputy director Dr Prabhdeep Kaur.

On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu reported 2,731 fresh Covid-19 infections, a 58% jump from the 1,728 it logged on Monday. Hotspot Monday.

“Omicron has a significant growthadvantage over Delta, spreading fast through communities with a doubling time of just two days,” health secretary J Radhakrishnan said on Tuesday.

The risk of transmission among close contacts, including family members, is muchhigher compared to all other variants.

“The overall risk related to the new variant is very high. Hospitalisationof the vaccinated is close to 1%, while it is 10% among those who are unvaccinated,” he said.

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Omicron tally nears 2k with 176 new cases

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

04.01.2022

India’s Omicron tally rose to 1,889 on Monday with 176 fresh cases even as a spurt in new infections pushed Rajasthan to the fourth-worst affected state after Maharashtra, Delhi and Kerala. Rajasthan reported 53 fresh cases, the second highest in the country on Monday after Maharashtra, which added 68 more cases to its tally. Rajasthan has pushed Gujarat to the fifth place in the Omicron tally.

Kerala added 29 cases on Monday while Gujarat and Karnataka reported 16 and 10 cases, respectively. For the second consecutive day, Delhi did not report any Omicron cases. With 68 new cases, Maharashtra’s tally grew to 578, which accounts for nearly 31% of India’s total cases. Of the total confirmed cases, 259 have already been discharged.

In Rajasthan, 43 of the 53 fresh cases were reported in Jaipur. While the state’s tally grew to 174, a health department official said 88 patients have already been discharged from hospital. Gujarat’s 16 cases took its tally to 152. Only 67 of these are active cases as 85 patients have recovered.

Monday, January 3, 2022

India’s Omicron count crosses 1,700-mark after 123 fresh cases

India’s Omicron count crosses 1,700-mark after 123 fresh cases

03.01.2022

India reported 123 Omicron cases on Sunday, the lowest in the last five days. India’s cumulative Omicron tally, after adding old unaccounted cases, stood at 1,711. Maharashtra recorded 50 fresh cases, taking the state’s total past the 500-mark to 510. Of the total cases in Maharashtra, 328 are from Mumbai alone, followed by Pune that has seen nearly 110 cases.

Kerala recorded the highest number of cases after Maharashtra on Sunday with 45 patients testing positive for the coronavirus variant, taking the southern state’s tally to152. State health minister Veena George said nine of the 45 patients came from high-risk countries while 32 came from low-risk countrie. Four persons contracted the new variant through their contacts.

Odisha recorded 23 new infections, its biggest singleday jump so far, taking the total tally to 37. Of the 23 fresh cases,10 have no recent history of foreign travel while 11 have returned from countries like Finland, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Syria and UK. Two are contacts of the person who has returned from Finland.

Telangana recorded five cases, taking the state tally to 84. Significantly, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, which had added big numbers to their Omicron tally in the last few days, did not report any case on Sunday.

TNN

Omicron test lure: Bank accounts emptied Cybercrooks Use Isolation Threat

Omicron test lure: Bank accounts emptied

Cybercrooks Use Isolation Threat

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:

03.01.2022

If you respond to an email promising a free Omicron test, you may let cybercrooks infect your device and empty your bank

account.

A senior police officer said that cybercrooks send emails with attached malicious links and files. If people open such a link or a file, their system —cellphone or computer — is compromised and criminals gain access tovital information.

Recently, the cyber cellof the state police issued an advisory on cybercrooks using the Omicron test lure.

In some instances, when someone hoping to get a free test clicks a link, bank account information is sought innocuously. Those gullible enough to divulge private information find their accounts emptied, according to the advisory issued by the cyber cell on December 30.

In many cases, people ended up sharing their details with fraudsters and lost their money in this time of crisis, said a poli- ce officer. The officer said that a formal complaint is yet to be filed in relation to such cheating cases.

“In most cases, people receive an email which is ostensibly from the National Health Service (NHS) of the UK,” the officer said. “The message offers the Omicron test. ”

The email senders also instill fear by saying that if the test is not taken, the recipient will be placedin isolationto prevent the spread of the infection, said the officer. “So people are lured with a free test and threatened by the prospect of isolation,” said another senior police officer. “Some people fall into the trap and are cheated. ” Sources in the state police said that cybercrooks also trawl the browsing history of a target and reach out if information on the Omicron test has been looked up.

Moreover, cybercrooks use addresses that appearto be from private and government hospitals. Police advise people to scrutinize domain names to checkthe authenticity of websites and report any suspicious activity on the cybercrime portal.

Sunday, January 2, 2022

Show us certificate confirming Omicron infection, patients tell private hospitals

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:

02.02.2022

Those who tested positive for Omicron in the state face a peculiar problem: They haven’t been given any official document stating they have been infected with the new variant.

As many as 66 cases (42 still in hospitals, 24 discharged) have been reported in the state since December 2. Lack of documentation has caused friction between patients and the hospitals where they are being treated. At present, district authorities inform the hospitals through phone calls.

“Private hospitals do not receive a copy of the reports. BBMP informs us through phone calls and we communicate the same to the patients. All those have been are detected with the variant now are international travellers who demand reports, which we don’t have,” said the authorities of a private hospital. That’s one of the six private hospitals designated for admitting international passengers testing positive for Covid on arrival. The hospital has also taken up the matter with the Covid Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

Another hospital has been counselling patients as and when they get information from BBMP about genomic sequencing detecting the Omicron variant.

Most of them have come to Bengaluru for a purpose, either personal or professional.

“They are already in a state of ‘why me’ during admission and they suspect the RTPCR positive report itself. They wait for a minimum 5-6 days to know the genomic sequencing reports. When it turns out to be the variant of concern, they feel a sense of anxiety and denial owing to stigma and isolation. We need to tackle this with scientific evidence like genomic sequencing reports shown to them,” said the head of a hospital in west Bengaluru.

In another case, a young woman tested positive for Covid on arrival and got admitted to a private hospital in the third week of December. The hospital authorities said her father was upset with the new regulations for international travellers which pushed her for institutional isolation despite having no symptoms. “The father kept calling demanding her discharge from hospital, and would yell at us. But suddenly he went silent after the 6th day. We checked with the family and learnt they had received a call from BBMP stating that the woman was infected with the new variant. But we don’t get the same information from the Palike at all,” they added.

“Omicron detection through genomic sequencing does not come in the form of an RTPCR certificate. But the state surveillance wing gets the report which has details of the patients,” said BBMP officials, admitting that there has been a communication gap.

A TAC member said it’s a tricky situation where patients older than 18 years must be explained about why they are in hospital and the family also has to be communicated. “Having proper communication channels along with maintaining patient’s confidentiality is the need of the hour. We suggested to the government to have one dedicated officer for communicating between the labs, hospitals and patients,” said the member.

Omicron may peak in mid-Jan in US but still may strain hosps: Scientists

Azeen Ghorayshi

02.02.2022

With the news that South Africa has passed the peak of its cases caused by the Omicron variant, scientists are projecting that the United States’ sharp increase in cases will crest as soon as the middle of January.

Over the past month, the Omicron variant has spread around the world with astonishing speed. On Thursday, the US surpassed 5,80,000 cases, beating the record set only a day before. New estimates from researchers at Columbia University suggest that the US could peak by January 9 at around 2. 5 million cases per week, although that number may go as high as 5. 4 million. In New York City, the first US metropolis to see a major surge, the researchers estimated that cases would peak by the first week of the new year. “It’s shocking. It’s disturbing,” said Jeffrey Shaman, a public health researcher who led the Columbia modeling work. “We’re seeing unprecedented numbers of Covid-19 cases. ”

The variant is significantly milder than Delta and other strains and is far less likely to lead to hospitalizations, ac- cording to data from South Africa and preliminary data from Britain. Still, the enormous numbers of people getting simultaneously infected could greatly strain hospitals, experts said, especially in places with lower vaccination rates or in places where hospitals are already overburdened. Just how much of a burden the variant will be, however, depends on how quickly it will burn out in particular communities, especially in big cities.

Another model, released University of Washington last week, estimated that the US would reach a peak in cases by the end of January. But even those researchers are now rethinking their projections based on Omicron’s rapid spread. “We are realizing right now monitoring the data that the peak is going to come much faster,” said Ali Mokdad, a public health researcher at the University of Washington. “My guess is it will happen before mid-January. ”

NYT

Omicron Hits 2022 Festivities, But Not Hope

If Nations End Vax Inequity: WHO

02.02.2021

The Omicron variant dampened New Year festivities around much of the world, with Paris cancelling its fireworks show, London relegating its to television, and New York City scaling down its famous ball drop celebration in Times Square.

The illuminated ball made of Waterford crystal panels slid down its pole at the midnight hour in Times Square, but only 15,000 spectators were allowed into the official viewing area instead of the usual 58,000. A year ago, the newly available vaccine offered hope that the Covid-19 pandemic may be under control by the start of 2022. Instead, the sudden arrival of Omicron has brought a surge in coronavirus cases across the globe.

Worldwide infections hit a record high over the past seven-day period, with an average of just over a million cases detected a day between December 24 and 30, up some 100,000 on the previous peak posted on Wednesday, according to Reuters data. Deaths, however, have not risen in kind, bringing hope the new variant is less lethal. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he is optimistic that the Covid-19 pandemic will be defeated in 2022, provided countries work to- gether to contain its spread.

Ghebreyesus warned against “narrow nationalism and vaccine hoarding” in his New Year statement. His comments come two years since the WHO was first notified of cases of an unknown pneumonia strain in China. He warned that continuing inequity in vaccine distribution was increasing the risk of the virus evolving. “If we end inequity, we end the pandemic. ”

New York City reported a record 44,000 cases on Wednesday and another 43,000 on Thursday, leading some critics to question whether the celebrations should go ahead at all. But officials decided an outdoor party of vaccinated, masked and socially distant revellers was safe, and a better option than the virtually vacant celebration that rung in 2021. “I would be lying if I said I’m not concerned,” said Sue Park, a student who was one of the 15,000 allowed to watch in person. “But I think it’s worth it to come and celebrate. ”

President Joe Biden noted the losses and uncertainty caused by the pandemic but said: “We’re persevering. We’re recovering”. “Back to work. Back to school. Back to joy,” he said in a video posted on Twitter. “That’s how we made it through this year. And how we’ll embrace the next. Together. ”

Elsewhere around the globe, events were scaled back or cancelled outright, such as with the traditional fireworks over the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Midnight passed in Paris without a planned fireworksdisplayor DJsets, as officials cancelled events planned on the Champs-Elysees following the advice of a scientific panel that declared mass gatherings would be too risky.

In the Netherlands, where outside groupings of more than four people are banned, police dispersed several thousand people who had defiantly gathered at Amsterdam’s central Dam Square, ANP news agency reported. But in London, where a fireworks display and light show had been cancelled in October, officials announced on Friday the spectacle would come to life on the television screen, as Big Ben rang in the New Year for the first time since 2017 following a restoration. BBC images of fireworks showed very light vehicle traffic and virtually no in-person spectators.

Cape Town abruptly lifted a curfew just in time for the New Year, after South Africa became the first country to declare its Omicron wave had crested — and with no huge surge in deaths. South Africa had first raised the alarm about the new fast-spreading variant racing around the world.

In Berlin, police urged people not to gather near the Br- andenburg Gate, where a concert was staged without a live audience. Under sunny skies at the Vatican on New Year’s Day, Pope Francis encouraged people to focus on the good while acknowledging that the pandemic has left many struggling. “We’re still living in uncertain and difficult times due to the pandemic,” the 85-yearold pontiff told crowds gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.

People in Madrid queued for hours to get into the main Puerta del Sol square where celebrations went ahead with multiple security checkpoints, mandatory masks and capacity at 60% of nor mal levels. Saul Pedrero, a 34-year old clerk, made the trip from Barcelona, which has some of Spain’s strictest controls, including a 1am curfew. “It seems like another country. ”

In Asia, celebrations were mostly abridged or cancelled. In South Korea’s Seoul, a traditional midnight bell-ringing event was cancelled for the second year, while festivities were banned in Tokyo’s glittering Shibuya district. Dubai went ahead with its celebrations undeterred, with 36 firework displays at 29 locations. But authorities warned they would fine anyone not wearing a mask. Hope remains that 2022 may bring a new, less deadly phase of pandemic. “Hopefully 2022 is going to be better,” said Oscar Ramirez, 31, in Sydney. “Everyone in the world needs a big change. ”

AGENCIES

Saturday, January 1, 2022

Omicron infections may not warrant shutdowns: Officials

01.01.2022

However, many cases being detected in India were due to contact tracing or testing due to travel plans, underlining that the infections are often asymptomatic. While Omicron is certainly more potent than flus, it is being assessed if it will be the first steptowards a milder form of the virus. Official sources said infections may not warrant shutdowns that derail a nascent economic recovery. It is being evaluated if the pandemic is moving towards endemicity — becoming a common, but milder ailment. In South Africa, Omicron cases began to rise around mid-November and c

ame down in a month.

Studies of the Omicron variant’s action on human cells show it faces effective “blocks” due to immune response, warding off serious disease. Though Omicron has a high number of spikeprotein mutations, they are clustered in three key functional areas of the virus. What Omicron gains in higher “escape” ability, it loses in terms of binding action on protein receptors as compared to Delta. And so while antibody strength is reduced, the Omicron spike is less potent, studies say.

“We see that the expected binding to the FCD (Furin cleavage domain) is at best the samea s the a lpha variant, and significantlyless than the Delta variant,” says a recent paper on simulation studies on Omicron in biology pre-print publicationBioRxiv.

A health ministry study of countries with a high number of cases shows daily deaths are higher in countries with lower vaccine coverage or where the vaccination drive has stalled. The US is recording an average of 1,777 daily deaths and a CFR of 1. 54 and its vaccine coverage is 61% of the population. The figures for France with 80% vaccine coverage are better, with 184 daily deaths and 1. 29 CFR, even as it records 2 lakh cases a day. Though India’s two-dose coverage, interms of p opulation, is 42%, its double-dose coverage of eligible adults is 65%, and single shot is 9 0%.

Nos. rise but govt cautiously optimistic on Omicron effect Rapidly But Seen As Weaker

New Delhi: The swift rise and subsidence of the Omicron wave in South Africa and lower mortality due to the variant in countries with higher vaccine coverage, along with trends in India, have led to cautious optimism that it could herald progressively weaker strains of the Covid, preventing serious disruption of the economy.

Official sources said that while preparations to tend to patients needing hospital care — due to a cumulatively higher number of cases — were on, evidence from domestic and global studies pointed to India’s expanding vaccination coverage and hybrid immunity delivering a high level of pro- tection against serious illness.

The presence of Omicron in genome-sequenced samples in India has crossed 50%, indicating that the variant is rapidly replacing Delta as the domi- nant strain. Around 80% of Covid cases among international arrivals are of Omicron, pointing to its wide footprint.

New guidelines out for govt offices

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Gandhinagar: 01.01.2022

The general administration department (GAD) of the state government has issued fresh guidelines to be followed in government offices in view of the rising cases of Covid-19 across the state. The new guidelines will come into force from Saturday, January 1.

All visitors to the secretariat compound will need fully vaccinated certificate for entry into the complex. Entry passes will be issued only if a person is fully vaccinated.

Thenotification, signed by ACS, GAD, A K Rakesh, said the guidelines will be applicable to all other offices of the government, semi-government, boards, corporation, local self-government bodies and bodies availing grants by the government.

Meanwhile, the state home department issued a notification extending night curfew in eight big cities, until January 7. Night curfew will remain in force from 11 pm to 5 am in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Bhavnagar.

The notification has made a specific mention of wearing a face cover compulsorily in all public places, workplaces and public transport. The notification also states that a social distancing of at least six feet has to be maintained and spitting in public places will attract a fine according to provisions of the law.

97 new corona cases in Surat

Surat: Three persons with no travel history have tested positive for the Omicron in Surat on Friday, even as Diamond city recorded 97 fresh cases of the Covid-19. Surat district registered19 more cases. Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) health officials said that 12 school and college students tested positive for Covdi-19 on Friday.

41 fresh Covid cases in Vadodara

Vadodara: The consistent increase of new Covid-19 cases continued in the city and district with 41new cases reported on Friday. The West Zone of the city remained the worst affected with15 new cases being reported there. The new cases in the city and district were identified from 6,087 tests.

TNN

Centre prepares labs & hospitals for spike

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: 01.01.2022

Though so far Omicron has proved less severe than its predecessor Delta, the Centre is preparing for a spike in cases leading to increased demands for hospital care with a network of 3,117 laboratories being geared up to deal with testing .

There are 2014 RT-PCR labs, 941 TrueNat, 132 CBNAAT and 30 others. There are more than 200 manufacturers of RT-PCR test kits while 53 are making rapid antigen kits. A total of seven home-testing RATs should be available soon and daily testing capacity is in excess of 20 lakh, said official sources.

Official sources said that the health ministry was working closely with national scientific establishments and the states to ensure that facilties for detection, tracing and medical care are available keeping in mind the lessons learnt from the second wave.

States have been asked to ensure the Rs 23,000 crore allotted for upgrade of medical facilities are utilised to the extent possible and beds with oxygen support and those in ICUs are augmented as well as even spread up in urban and semi-urban areas. So far, the need for medical attention in rural areas has been on the lower side.

A total of 6,776 crore samples have been tested till December 30 and genome sequencing is being carried out using certain criteria, like all positive foreign arrivals.