Third wave inevitable, but no cause for panic yet: Experts

Third wave inevitable, but no cause for panic yet: Experts

‘Omicron Has Raised Chances Of Cluster Outbreak’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:22.12.2021

Even as the Centers for Diseases Control announced 73% of the new coronavirus cases in the US are caused by the Omicron variant as against 3% last week, the Covid statistics at home too are slowly rising and experts believe the third wave — even if less severe than the previous one — is inevitable.

The Rt value or the effective reproduction value of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has gone up in a few states, including Maharashtra. An Rt value of 1 means one patient can spread the disease to one other person. In a tweet, epidemiologist Dr Giridhar Babu on Tuesday said states with an increase in Rt values on December 19 as compared to December 13 are Bihar, MP, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Odisha, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Manipur and Nagaland. India’s effective Rt is 0.89 as on December 19, he added.

In the week ending November 2, the Rt value in Maharashtra was 0.7 and kept steadily increasing — 0.82 (November 14), 0.96 (November 22) — before falling — 0.92 (November 29) and 0.85 (December 6). In the last two weeks, the Rt value in the state has again started rising: 1.08 (December 19).

The rising weekly caseload and Rt value are, as per doctors, an indicator of how the Covid graph will turn out in the next month. Rahul Pandit, a member of the state government’s task force on Covid-19, said there is no cause for panic yet. “Any rise in R value is a cause for concern and means the public health machinery should strengthen its surveillance and contact tracing,” he further stated. Shashank Joshi, also a task force member, said: “The third wave seemed remote a few months ago, but the emergence of the Omicron variant that spreads five times more rapidly than Delta has raised the possibility of cluster outbreak and the third wave.” Internal medicine specialist Swapneil Parikh said a third wave is inevitable. “Based on developments in other countries, cases in India too will increase. What remains to be seen is what… sort of load the third wave would put on hospital infrastructure,” he said. However, most doctors said immunity due to vaccine, past infection will blunt the severity of the possible Omicron wave.

Omicron: States told to bring back curbs

Omicron: States told to bring back curbs

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:22.12.2021

Amid initial signs of a rise in Omicron infections and concerns over its high transmissibility, the Centre on Tuesday asked states to activate war rooms and bring back curbs, including night curfews, strict restrictions on large gatherings, curtailing numbers in marriages and funerals, restricting attendance in offices and public transport.

District administrations have been asked to keep a close watch on numbers and proactively analyse trends and surges. Highlighting that Omicron variant is at least three times more transmissible than the Delta strain, the Centre underlined the need for prompt and focused decisions at the local level as cases can spread rapidly in the absence of timely identification and containment.

‘Hospitalisation, deaths can impact a nascent economic recovery’

This is considered necessary even though cases of Omicron have been seen to be mostly mild so far.

“Based on current scientific evidence, the VOC (Variant of Concern) Omicron is at least 3 times more transmissible than the Delta VOC. Besides, the Delta VOC is still present in different parts of the country. Hence, even greater foresight, data analysis, dynamic decision making and strict & prompt containment action is required at the local and district level. The decision making at the State/UT and district level must be very prompt and focussed,” health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter on Tuesday.

While the infection might prove to be mild, a large number of cases can increase hospitalisation and deaths and also impact a nascent economic recovery. Till Tuesday morning, 200 cases infected with Omicron variant of SARSCoV2 were detected through genome sequencing of Covid-19 positive samples from across 12 states and UTs. Of these 77 cases have recovered or migrated, health ministry said. The Centre has directed “all cluster samples must be sent to INSACOG Labs for genome sequencing without delay.”

The Centre is worried over the rising detection of Omicron cases even as the overall numbers continue to be under control. Officials raised concerns as the detected Omicron cases are only a factor of the size of samples and the real numbers are likely to be much higher, particularly because of the transmissibility.

Overall, a total of 5,326 new Covid-19 cases — which includes Delta and other variants — were recorded from across the country on Monday. The active caseload of Covid-19 stood at 79,097. Maharashtra and Delhi have recorded 54 cases of Omicron variant each, while Telangana registered 20 cases, Karnataka 19, Rajasthan 18, Kerala 15 and Gujarat 14 cases.

Omicron: Most patients in Guj needed re-test

Parth Shastri & Sachin Sharma | TNN

Ahmedabad/Vadodara: 21.12.2021

What was common about the cases recorded in Vadodara on Monday and in Ahmedabad on Sunday? The patients had tested negative with RT-PCR tests twice — but the third test detected the presence of Covid-19 and subsequently genomic sequencing found the Omicron variant.

In the case of a 27-yearold woman in Vadodara, she developed symptoms such as low-grade fever after returning from the UK last week. “She underwent the RT-PCR test before boarding the flight according to the requirements. Upon arrival in Mumbai, she again took the test and the result was negative,” said a senior health department official. “She then returned to Vadodara. As she developed symptoms, she was advised another test and the presence of the virus was detected.” In the case of a couple from Tanzania, the chance discovery was due to a preprocedure RT-PCR test that gave the positive result. They had tested negative in Mumbai and Ahmedabad and even at the time of boarding the flight. Experts pointed out that the milder symptoms or the lack of symptoms make detection all the more difficult. Senior state health department officials were not available for comment on whether multiple testing could be the norm for passengers from ‘at risk’ countries.

Dr Mukesh Maheshwari, an Ahmedabad-based pathologist, said that the way in which the samples are collected matters as much as the kits do. “Both nasal and throat swabs can give results, but if the viral load is low, the virus may not get detected immediately,” he said. “It’s possible that the first two tests are carried out at a short interval, and by the third test the viral load required for detection is achieved.”

Omicron spreading faster than Delta, infecting vaxxed: WHO

Omicron spreading faster than Delta, infecting vaxxed: WHO

But UN Body Predicts 2022 May See Pandemic’s End With Vax & Treatments; Britain Under Pressure To Tighten Curbs As Deaths From Variant Rises To 12

21.12.2021

The Omicron variant is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the Covid-19 disease, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva on Monday. “There is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant,” he said. “And it is more likely people vaccinated or recovered from Covid could be infected or re-infected.”

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said that the variant was successfully evading some immune responses, meaning that the booster programmes being rolled out in many countries ought to be targeted towards people with weaker immune systems. “We do not believe that all vaccines will become completely ineffective,” she said. WHO expert Abdi Mahamud added: “Although we are seeing a reduction in the neutralisation antibodies, almost all data shows T-cells remain intact, that is what we really require.” Swaminathan, referring to a treatment for people with the disease, said: “Of course there is a challenge, many of the monoclonals will not work with Omicron.” She gave no details. But the WHO team also offered some hope to a world facing the new wave that 2022 would be the year that the pandemic would end — with the development of second and third generation vaccines, further development of antimicrobial treatments and other innovations. “If we can keep virus transmission to minimum, then can bring pandemic to end,” Mike Ryan, the WHO’s top emergency expert said. Tedros, too, called for the world to pull together and make the difficult decisions needed to end the pandemic within the next year. “2022 must be the year we end the pandemic,” he said.

Omicron infections are multiplying rapidly across Europe and the US, doubling every two or three days in London and elsewhere and taking a heavy toll on financial markets. Britain has reported record levels of cases over the past week. The UK health security agency said on Sunday that12 people had died due to Omicron and 104 were currently in hospital with it. Speaking after a two-hour cabinet meeting, UK PM Boris Johnson said on Monday he was looking at all kinds of measures to keep Omicron under control as the situation was extremely difficult, cautioning that further restrictions might be needed. British media said ministers had pushed back against the prospect of new restrictions before Christmas and that curbs, lasting between two weeks and a month, were now more likely to be introduced after, possibly from December 28. Media outlets said these would likely include a ban on households mixing indoors, as well as possible limits on the numbers who can meet outdoors and pubs and eateries limited to opening outdoors only.

Germany plans to limit private gatherings from December 28 to a maximum of 10 people who have been vaccinated or recovered from Covid, according to a draft of proposed measures. Italy is also considering new measures. US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said Omicron was “raging through the world” as he urged Americans to get booster shots. Since the start of the month, US cases have risen 50%, according to a Reuters tally. Meanwhile, US senator Elizabeth Warren said she had tested Covid positive. Australia for its part is pushing to ease curbs despite a predicted surge in infections, hoping inoculations will help keep people out of hospital.

Also, the World Economic Forum on Monday postponed its annual meeting in Davos due to the spread of Omicron, putting off the event scheduled for January until mid-2022.

Meanwhile, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa returned to work following a week of isolation after testing positive for Covid. Ramaphosa had mild symptoms. AGENCIES

10 fresh cases take India’s Omicron tally to 155

10 fresh cases take India’s Omicron tally to 155

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

20.12.2021

India’s Omicron tally crossed the 150-mark on Sunday and stood at 155 with 10 fresh cases reported from two states --- six from Maharashtra and four from Gujarat.

Maharashtra tops the chart in the statewise tally with 54 cases, followed by Delhi which has 22 cases. Among the new cases in Maharashtra, four were detected in Mumbai and one each in Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune (rural). The four cases detected in Mumbai were overseas travelers – two from UK and others from Tanzania -- who tested positive for Covid-19 when screened at the airport. All of them are fully vaccinated.

The Pune case is a 5-yearold boy, who is a close contact of a traveller from Dubai. The Pimpri Chinchwad case is a 46-year-old returnee from a middle eastern country. Maharashtra health authorities said that of the 54 cases, 28 have already been discharged, while the rest remain asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.

UK sees 10k+ new Omicron cases in a day, toll rises to 7

UK sees 10k+ new Omicron cases in a day, toll rises to 7

London Put On Alert Over Rising Hosp Cases; Total Variant Infections Now Nearly 25k In Britain; Netherlands To Go Into Tight Lockdown

19.12.2021

Britain reported a surge in cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant on Saturday, and London’s mayor declared a “major incident” to help the capital’s hospitals following a sharp rise in Covid-19 admissions. The total number of Omicron cases recorded across the country hit almost 25,000 as of 1800 GMT on Friday, up by more than 10,000 cases from 24 hours earlier, the UK health security agency (UKHSA) said in its latest data.

Seven people believed to have had the Omicron variant had died as of Thursday, up from one death in the UKHSA’s previous data which ran up to Tuesday. Hospitalisations of people thought to have the variant increased to 85 from 65.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a “major incident” — which allows for closer coordination between different public agencies and possibly more central government support - as Covid-19 hospital admissions in the city rose by nearly 30% this week. He said health worker absences had also increased. “I’ve taken the decision, in consultation with our partners, to declare a major incident today,” Khan said during a visit to Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea Football Club which is being used as a mass vaccination centre. “This is a statement of how serious things are,” he said. Khan, from the opposition Labour Party, also declared a major incident in January, when rising Covid-19 cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals. The Omicron variant is estimated to account for more than 80% of new Covid cases in London, officials said on Friday.

UK’s Times newspaper reported that officials were preparing draft new rules that, if introduced, would ban indoor mixing in England except for work for two weeks after Christmas when pubs and restaurants would be limited to table service outdoors. People would be able to meet in groups of up to six outdoors, the newspaper said. But ministers were yet to formally consider the plans, Times said. A government spokesperson said the government would continue to “look closely at all the emerging data”. The total number of all new Covid-19 cases reported in official data edged down to 90,418 from a record high of over 93,000 on Friday, but that was still the country’s secondhighest daily toll. Cases were up 44.4% over the seven days to December 18 compared with the previous week.

Meanwhile, nations across Europe are moving to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of Covid-19 infections spurred by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, triggering calls for protests from Paris to Barcelona. The Dutch government said it is imposing a tough nationwide lockdown starting Sunday in an attempt to rein in sharply rising levels of cases. “The Netherlands is going into lockdown again,” PM Mark Rutte said on Saturday. He said the move was “unavoidable because of the fifth wave caused by the Omicron variant that is bearing down on us”. Rutte did not immediately outline the terms of the lockdown but said it it will build on a partial lockdown already in force that requires bars, restaurants and other public places such as cinemas to close at 5pm.

As case numbers escalated, alarmed ministers in France, Cyprus and Austria tightened travel restrictions. Denmark closed theaters, concert halls, amusement parks and museums. Ireland imposed an 8pm curfew on pubs and bars and limited attendance at indoor and outdoor events. AGENCIES

MOST OMICRON CASES SHOW NO SYMPTOMS All Had Contact With Someone From African Nations, The UK

MOST OMICRON CASES SHOW NO SYMPTOMS

All Had Contact With Someone From African Nations, The UK

Team TOI

Ahmedabad/Rajkot/Surat:  19.12.2021

The patients of Omicron variant of Covid-19 are not drastically different from the Alpha and Delta variants the experts have seen in the first and second waves — for the start, majority of the patients that got detected with the variant are asymptomatic, and don’t need oxygen support.

The first three patients of Gujarat — all from Jamnagar — were discharged from the government-run GG Hospital recently. The experts said that except the first case where a septuagenarian had developed fever and dry cough, the other two were asymptomatic.

“Their temperatures were checked regularly, and they were given paracetamol and multivitamin tablets as part of Covid protocol. Apart from that, they did not need any medical intervention,” said a treating doctor. “According to the protocol, they are supposed to remain quarantined for the next seven days and report to us if any problem arises. They were discharged after they tested negative twice after 14 days.” Dr Rakesh Joshi, medical superintendent of Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, said that the sole patient the hospital has — a native of Kheda with travel history to the UK — is stable. “In Delta variant, we had seen high involvement of lungs. Here, it’s not the case. The caution, however, is still required as Omicron is considered to be highly contagious and the patients are kept in a separate ward,” he said.

The only Omicron patient in Surat did not complain of any health issues since he tested positive. No symptoms were found during examination by doctors. “He was as normal as a healthy person,” said a health official. A 42-year-old businessman who had returned from Africa had tested positive after eight days of return and later the variant was confirmed in genome testing.

City-based experts said that sore throat, body ache, and mild fever are among the symptoms recorded in India and elsewhere. They, however, added that more details are required to ascertain the progression of the variant.

(With inputs from Nimesh Khakharia in Rajkot and Yagnesh Mehta in Surat)

Omicron cases doubling in just 1.5-3 days: WHO

Omicron cases doubling in just 1.5-3 days: WHO

‘Surge In Areas With Community Transmission’

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:19.12.2021

The Omicron variant is spreading with a doubling time of 1.5 to 3 days in countries with documented community transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest update about the new strain which is also affecting countries with high levels of population immunity.

“There is consistent evidence that Omicron has a substantial growth advantage over Delta. It is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant with a doubling time of 1.5-3 days,” said WHO’s technical brief. The saving grace so far has been Omicron’s lower virulence even though its spread underlines the need for masks, sanitisation and vaccination.

The UN health agency said it remains uncertain to what extent the rapid growth rate can be attributed to immune evasion, intrinsic increased transmissibility or a combination of both. Preliminary data also suggest there is a reduction in neutralising titres against Omicron in those who have received a primary vaccination series or who have had prior SARSCoV-2 infection, which may suggest a level of humoral immune evasion.

India’s active caseload currently at 84,565 cases

Humoral immunity is the process of adaptive immunity manifested by the production of antibodies that develops in bone marrow.

The number of people infected with the Delta variant in UK were found to be doubling every 11 days, according to a study conducted by the Imperial College of London based on analysis of swab tests taken between May 20 and June 7. “Given current available data, it is likely that Omicron will outpace Delta where community transmission occurs,” the latest WHO update said.

In India, while overall Covid-19 cases continue to be below 10,000 for around 20 days, health authorities have cautioned against complacency highlighting examples of countries like UK and France that are witnessing a surge powered by Omicron despite high vaccination rate and exposure to the Delta variant.

A total of 7,145 new Covid-19 cases were recorded from across the country on Friday. Active caseload currently stands at 84,565 cases. This includes Omicron-infected cases but Delta continues to be the dominant variant so far, according to officials.

While some studies from UK show that the risk of reinfection from Omicron is higher than Delta and there are no signs of the infection being milder than Delta, the UN health agency maintained there are still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron.

Omicron fear as 28 foreign returnees in Tamil Nadu detected with S-gene drop: Health Minister

Omicron fear as 28 foreign returnees in Tamil Nadu detected with S-gene drop: Health Minister

Subramanian said he would write a letter to the Centre in this connection stating passengers should mandatorily undergo RT-PCR testing on completion of home isolation

Published: 17th December 2021 06:44 PM | Last Updated: 18th December 2021 04:34 AM | A+A A-

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: So far, 28 international travellers tested positive for Covid-19 with ‘s’ gene drop, a marker for Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, in Tamil Nadu, said Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Friday.

The Health Minister said in the last two weeks, a total of 14,868 international travellers from both ‘at-risk’ and ‘non-risk’ countries were tested at the airports in the State. Of them, 70 tested positive. All these 70 samples were sent for genome sequencing. Results of 10 genome sequencing were given, of which one tested positive for Omicron variant (the first case in Tamil Nadu), eight for Delta variant, and one sample was not sequenced. The results of the remaining samples are awaited.

The minister said the Health Department officials traced 278 contacts of the man positive for Omicron and tested all of them. The Health Department will also write a letter to the Union Health Ministry requesting them to make changes in the Guidelines for International Travellers. At present, only travellers from ‘at risk’ countries (12 countries) have to undergo RT-PCR test on arrival and wait at the airports till the reports come. Of travellers from ‘non-risk’ countries, only two per cent are being tested in random sampling. Also, those with symptoms are tested, added the Health Minister.

But since people from ‘non-risk’ countries — Nigeria and Congo — tested positive with ‘s’ gene drop, the State will request the Union Ministry to make seven-day home quarantine for people from non-risk countries mandatory. They should be released only after a repeat test at the end of the home quarantine period. Also, people violating quarantine rules should be put in institutional quarantine, Subramanian said.

The State will also request the Union Health Ministry to conduct an RT-PCR test for all the international travellers, irrespective of the country they come from, on arrival before sending them home. However, the holding area in the airports may not be sufficient to make all these travellers wait till their RT PCR test report came. In that case, alternative arrangements would be made after discussions with the airport authorities, the Health Minister said.

The Minister was speaking to reporters on the DMS campus after launching an SMS facility for pregnant women and lactating mothers. Eleven different vaccines are given to children. All the due vaccine dates will be informed to the mothers by an SMS. They will also be informed about Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit scheme money crediting dates. Over 11 lakh pregnant women and lactating mothers will be benefitted, he added. Later in the evening, the Health Department wrote the letter to the Union Ministry.

Avoid non-essential travel and mass gatherings: Govt

Avoid non-essential travel and mass gatherings: Govt

26 New Cases Of Omicron Take India Tally Past 100

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:18.12.2021

The Centre recorded total 101 cases infected with the new SARS-COV2 variant Omicron from 11 states detected through genome sequencing.

“As the Omicron variant is spreading very fast across Europe and most parts of the world, there is a need to avoid non-essential travel and mass gatherings and keep festivities low-key. New Year celebrations have to be low-key,” ICMR director-general Dr Balram Bhargava said.

While Maharashtra (32), Delhi (22) and Rajasthan (17) have reported maximum number of cases, Karnataka and Telangana have recorded eight each, Gujarat and Kerala five each, and Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal one each till 4pm on Friday.

The government said only one or two cases are without travel history or contacts with those having travel history. However, in such cases, contact tracing is still going on. The government also said that it may be premature at this stage to extrapolate data of Omicron positive cases detected through genome sequencing to do a modelling for absolute numbers.

Asked if India is carrying out adequate genomic sequencing, officials said sufficient systematic strategic sampling is being undertaken for genomic sequencing to detect Omicron cases.

India is carrying out the “second-highest” number of genomic sequencing in the world and it is being further intensified, NITI Aayog member-health Dr V K Paul said.

“The overall situation is stable. In some districts the positivity rate is increasing and if needed restrictive measures should be implemented. There should be proper contact tracing and containment measures should be implemented. Clusters should be investigated to see if the new variant is driving the rise in cases there,” Paul said.

On whether the Omicron variant is at the community transmission level, Agarwal said, “We cannot at this point say that Omicron variant is widespread in India. Most cases of Omicron have a travel history or had contacts with those who have travel histories.

Omicron +ve had sore throat, body ache, but didn’t lose smell

Omicron +ve had sore throat, body ache, but didn’t lose smell

Most Treated With Basic Pain, Fever Medicines

Sumitra.DebRoy@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: 17.12.2021

Slightly itchy throat, fatigue, body ache and mild fever were some of the main symptoms experienced by the patients treated at the Seven-Hills Hospital for the Omicron variant. The Andheri hospital, dedicated to cases of the new variant, has handled 14 patients till now. Thirteen have been discharged.

Of the 14 cases, eight were asymptomatic. “Among those with symptoms, most complained of sore throat, tiredness and body ache,” said one of the treating doctors, adding there was no disease progression in any. The HRCT scans of all the patients remained practically unchanged, meaning there was no lung involvement. Most could be treated with basic fever and pain medication such as paracetamol, while asymptomatic patients were given multivitamins.

In Maharashtra, 32 Omicron cases have been reported. Dr Pradeep Awate, state surveillance officer, said 50% didn’t have any symptom. The rest had mild fever on Day 1, runny nose, and fever with cough. Interestingly, anosmia or loss of smell was not seen in any of the Omicron patients, said Awate. Of the 32 infected, 25 (78%) were vaccinated. The two unvaccinated didn’t see any major symptoms either.

14 new Omicron cases take India tally to 87

India reported 14 fresh Omicron cases on Thursday, taking the tally of patients contracting the highly infections variant in the country to 87. While Karnataka reported five new cases, Delhi and Telangana recorded four each and Gujarat one.

The tally in Karnataka rose to eight with five new cases. While three of them have international travel history, the other two returned from Delhi, leading to concerns of community spread of the variant in India. Delhi’s Omicron count touched 10 with four new cases. However, five of them have been discharged after recovering from the infection. TNN

Small SA study shows Omicron breaking through booster shot

Small SA study shows Omicron breaking through booster shot

Johannesburg:  17.12.2021

A small study of seven Covid-19 cases in South Africa shows the Omicron variant can break through booster vaccine shots, one of the scientists involved said on Thursday. A group of seven German visitors to Cape Town, aged between 25 and 39, were infected at some point in late November or early December with cases of the Omicron variant. The study said they all suffered only mild to moderate symptoms and none required hospitalisation. Of the group, six were fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, of whom five had also had a booster Pfizer shot while the sixth had got a booster dose of Moderna vaccine. A seventh had got an initial dose of Astra-Zeneca’s shot, followed by a second and then third booster Pfizer dose. The infections occurred between one and two months after receipt of the booster shot. Wolfgang Preiser, one of the study’s co-authors, said the study showed infection was possible and caused symptomatic disease even after boosted immunisation. The study is under peer review. REUTERS

Six fresh cases of Omicron variant suspected in TN

Six fresh cases of Omicron variant suspected in TN

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:17.12.2021

Test samples of at least six more patients, suspected to be carrying the Omicron variant, were sent by Tamil Nadu to whole genome sequencing labs in Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune on Thursday.

A 38-year-old woman, who returned to India on December 12 from the Republic of Congo via Chennai, tested positive for Covid-19 in her hometown in Tiruvannamalai district two days later, health officials said here on Thursday.

During the RTPCR test, scientists noticed the S-gene dropout – an indicator that she could be carrying the Omicron variant. She is admitted to the government medical college hospital in Tiruvannamalai, and her health condition is stable, health secretary J Radhakrishnan said.

By evening, four family contacts of the Covid-19 patient, who took the Doha flight to Chennai, tested positive for Covid-19. With this, at least two passengers who travelled on the flight and 10 of their contacts have tested positive for the viral infection so far. The public health department says there was S-gene dropout in all patients who tested positive.

A 47-year-old passenger, who returned from Nigeria via Doha, tested positive at the airport on December 10. Five days later, National Institute of Virology confirmed he was carrying the Omicron variant. The genomic test reports of all other patients are still awaited. “We have alerted all passengers on the flight to contact health authorities or seek medical attention even if they have mild symptoms,” Radhakrishnan said.

In addition, another patient, who travelled from South Africa, tested positive eight days after she travelled. Since South Africa is listed as a country at risk, patients are allowed to leave the airport only after they test negative. A repeat RTPCR is done eight days later. While officials are yet to confirm if they suspect Omicron variant, the patient has been isolated for treatment at the Government Covid Hospital in Guindy. Her tests samples were also sent to the genomic labs.

State public health staff and infectious diseases experts are now asking the state to expand the list of “at risk” countries or make testing mandatory for all international passengers. “The state has to create separate facilities for passengers so there is no further community spread,” said a senior government doctor. “Passenger travelling from other countries are not mandated to wait at the airport till results come in. While we track and test most close contacts, this can become complex if we continue to passengers go without negative RTPCR report,” he said.

627 new cases

Tamil Nadu reported 627 new Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths on Thursday with Chennai (124) and Coimbatore (104) continuing to record the highest number of new cases.

At the end of the day, 687 people were discharged from Covid registry leaving 7,476 people still under treatment for the viral infection. The cumulative case tally since March 2020 touched 27.37 lakh and the death toll reached 36,656.

Omicron-hit had sore throat, body ache

Omicron-hit had sore throat, body ache

Sumitra.DebRoy@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:  17.12.2021

Slightly itchy throat, fatigue, body ache and mild fever were some of the main symptoms experienced by the patients treated at the SevenHills Hospital for the Omicron variant. The Andheri hospital, dedicated to cases of the new variant, has handled 14 patients till now. Thirteen have been discharged.

Of the 14 cases, eight were asymptomatic. “Among those with symptoms, most complained of sore throat, tiredness and body ache,” said one of the treating doctors, adding there was no disease progression in any. The HRCT scans of all the patients remained practically unchanged, meaning there was no lung involvement. Most could be treated with basic fever and pain medication such as paracetamol, while asymptomatic patients were given multivitamins.

Full report on www.toi.in

14 new Omicron cases take India tally to 87

India reported 14 fresh Omicron cases on Thursday, taking the tally of patients contracting the highly infections variant in the country to 87. While Karnataka reported five new cases, Delhi and Telangana recorded four each and Gujarat one.

The tally in Karnataka rose to eight with five new cases. While three of them have international travel history, the other two returned from Delhi, leading to concerns of community spread of the variant in India. TNN

Eye on Omicron, states told to be ready with O2

Eye on Omicron, states told to be ready with O2

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  16.12.2021

Amid concerns about a possible surge in Covid-19 cases due to the new Omicron variant, the Centre on Wednesday reviewed the status of oxygen supply, equipment, ventilators and concentrators among other things with states and UTs, urging them to monitor their availability on a daily basis to ensure that there is absolute preparedness to tackle any rise in the number of infections.

In a review meeting with states and UTs, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised states to ensure the gap between equipment and systems delivered to the districts and installed at the healthcare facilities is reduced to zero.

States have also been asked to conduct mock drills of all installed and commissioned PSA plants to ensure that they are fully operational so that oxygen of required quantity, pressure and purity reaches the intended patients at their bedside. These drills are to be completed by the end of December, the health ministry said.

Uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen in sufficient quantity is of critical importance to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centre said.

While equipment and systems have been sanctioned and delivered, in many states these have not been sent to district health facilities and when delivered, some have not been made functional, Bhushan said.

State nodal officers were requested to streamline coordination with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), HLL Infra Tech Services Limited (HITES) and Central Medical Services Society (CMSS) for resolution of electricityrelated and site- related issues for ensuring quick operationalisation of the entire medical oxygen supply infrastructure supplied to them.

So far, a total of 3,236 PSA plants have been installed in the country from various sources with a total commissioned oxygen capacity of 3,783 MT.

Moreover, 1,14,000 oxygen concentrators are being provided to states under PM-CARES (1 lakh) and 14,000 from Emergency Covid Relief Package (ECRP-II), the government said.

It was also pointed out that ECRP-II funds have been sanctioned to them for installation of 958 LMO storage tanks and medical gas pipeline systems in 1,374 hospitals.

T’gana, TN & Bengal report first Omicron cases; India tally at 73

T’gana, TN & Bengal report first Omicron cases; India tally at 73

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

16.12.2021

India’s Omicron tally rose to 73 on Wednesday from 61 the previous day even as Telangana, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal reported their first cases, taking the total number of states and Union territories which have patients with the highly infected coronavirus variant to 11. In all, 12 cases were reported from five states in the last 24 hours.

While West Bengal and Tamil Nadu reported one case each, two foreign nationals from Kenya and Somalia tested positive for the variant in Telangana. Four more cases were reported from Maharashtra, taking the state’s caseload to 32, the highest in the country followed by Rajasthan which has 17 patients. Four fresh cases were reported in Kerala, taking the state tally to five.

A seven-year-old boy who had arrived in Kolkata on December 11 from Abu Dhabi via Hyderabad became Bengal’s first Omicron patient. The boy, from Murshidabad, remains asymptomatic and is now at an isolation ward in Malda Medical College. In Telangana, a 24-year-old Kenyan who travelled from Qatar on December 12 and a 23-year-old Somali who had come as a patient’s attendant from Sharjah on the same day tested positive for the variant.

Tamil Nadu’s first case, a 47-year-old man who travelled to Chennai from Nigeria via Doha on December 10, was confirmed by ICMR National Institute of Virology.

UK returnee tests positive for Covid in Kolkata, genome sequencing underway for Omicron variant

UK returnee tests positive for Covid in Kolkata, genome sequencing underway for Omicron variant

Top officials of the health ministry informed a parliamentary panel that there are 23 cases of the omicron variant across the country, and authorities are closely monitoring the situat

Published: 10th December 2021 03:53 PM 

By PTI

KOLKATA: A woman, who returned from the UK, tested positive for COVID-19 here on Friday, a senior official of the West Bengal Health Department said on Friday.

The required specimens were collected and sent for genome sequencing to ascertain whether she had contracted the new omicron variant, which has been classified as a highly transmissible virus of concern, he said.

"A patient from the UK is found positive for COVID-19. She was initially sent to the Beliaghata IDBG Hospita, Later she chose to get admitted at a private hospital for institutional quarantine," the official said.

Her condition is stable, he added.

Top officials of the health ministry had on Thursday informed a parliamentary panel that there are 23 cases of the omicron variant across the country, and authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

ICMR focus remains on 2-dose vax, is fine with Covishield gap

ICMR focus remains on 2-dose vax, is fine with Covishield gap

Nisha.Nambiar@timesgroup.com

Pune:12.12.2021

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has advised against suddenly introducing a third Covid vaccine dose or recommending any change in the time gap of Covishield shots in the wake of Omicron cases.

Dr Samiran Panda, head of ICMR’s epidemiology department, told TOI that as of now the apex biomedical research body would underscore the importance of attaining greater coverage with two-dose vaccination. “With Omicron cases being mild not only in India but the world over, there should not be any kneejerk reaction like introducing a third dose or recommending any change in the interval of Covishield doses, as demanded by people from different quarters,” he said.

Many states, including Maharashtra, demanded an additional dose or booster dose, besides seeking shorter gap between two shots of Covishield to speed up immunisation.

“A decision on whether a third dose would be required for immunocompromised individuals would be taken later based on scientific evidence and on case-to-case basis. Nothing has been decided on it so far,” Dr Panda said.

He said scientific evidence of booster dose for the Indian terrain was being evaluated and the technical advisory group would make an announcement regarding it. Dr Panda said public health focus should be on double vaccination and completing the adult immunisation programme now because the two-dose vaccine strategy seemed to be working well in the Indian context.

On the demand from states like Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka to reduce the gap between the two Covishield doses, the ICMR scientist said scientific evidence from in-country reality was showing that the interval was fine.

Full report on www.toi.in

32 Omicron cases in 5 states, all have mild symptoms: Govt

32 Omicron cases in 5 states, all have mild symptoms: Govt

New Delhi:  12,11,2021

A total of 32 Covid-19 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected from five states so far, accounting for less than 0.04% of the total variants detected, and the patients have so far reported mild symptoms.

While the health ministry had received reports of 25 cases, seven more cases were reported from Maharashtra later in the evening on Friday.

While Maharashtra (17) and Rajasthan (9) have reported the maximum number of Omicron cases so far, Gujarat has three, Karnataka two and Delhi has one such case.

"All detected cases have mild symptoms," Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry, said while underlining the need to maintain increased compliance of public health measures and ramp up coverage of full vaccination. TNN

EXPERT ADVICE Omicron Not Fatal, But Covid Protocol Still Must

EXPERT ADVICE

Omicron Not Fatal, But Covid Protocol Still Must

G Srinivasa Rao, director of public health, Telangana, answers queries from TOI readers on the new variant of Covid-19, its symptoms, severity quotient and if a booster dose is on its way

How dangerous is this Omicron variant and what precautions should one take to keep safe and not contract it? —Manav Parikh

As per the evidence and clinical studies so far, especially from SA (the epicentre of this Omicron), the variant is not dangerous, does not require hospitalisation and does not cause death. Completing the vaccination process, wearing masks, hand sanitisation, social distancing, avoiding crowded places, will give maximum protection from infection/its complications/need for hospitalisation and certainly from death.

What are the symptoms of Omicron? Can it cause severe illness and will existing treatments work? — Shreshtha Raghuwanshi

It usually leads to severe body pains, headache, and weakness. The usual symptoms of Covid-19 (loss of smell/taste, respiratory symptoms, breathlessness etc) are not observed. However, it may take a further three to four weeks for it to fully evolve and for us to know much more. Omicron as of now is not causing serious symptoms/disease. The existing treatment protocols for Covid-19 are to be followed and will be effective. Symptomatic, supportive treatment, isolation at home is enough.

If one does get infected with this variant, what are the general drugs available in the market that one can use to treat it immediately? —Katuru Durga Prasad Rao

It is advisable to get tested for Covid-19, get it confirmed by a doctor and then go for treatment, which varies for non-Covid/Covid/other respiratory disease. It is not advisable to use any medicine without a doctor's prescription/supervision. However, it is assured that all required medicines are abundantly available.

Should we continue following Covid-19 appropriate protocol like wearing masks\using sanitisers\checking temperatures? Should we again start avoiding crowded places like theatres, malls etc? —Krithika L Rao

Certainly yes. We need to take all these measures which help in preventing not only Covid/Omicron/ but other commonly communicable respiratory infections as well.

How vulnerable are completely vaccinated people to this infection? —Rakesh Kumar

Omicron as of now is being detected among the vaccinated population too. But the vaccine prevents it from becoming serious, the need for hospitalisation and death.

Is the variant more likely to cause serious infection among those who have taken only one dose? —Dhanya Raj

There is no such evidence so far. However, those who took a single dose and are due for the second dose I suggest they finish the schedule.

What are the chances of reinfection among the Covid-19 recovered patients? -Pa-rimala G Tadas

There are no studies available yet to ascertain this. But it will be a mild disease for people who have been infected earlier.

Is the virus also dangerous for school going children between 10 and 17 years of age? Is it safe to send them to school? —Akash Singh

Though Covid-19 infections have been observed among school going children so far, they have mostly been mild and not life threatening. They have not required any hospitalisation. The same applies to Omicron as well – that is, if at all it occurs among children. It is safe and needed too for children to be sent to school so as to prevent certain other physical/psychological effects observed due to prolonged home stays with online classes.

I am a retired person running a small tuition class. As there were growing concerns about the efficacy of the vaccine, I have stayed away from it. But now, with the new variant, I am a little worried. What should I do? —Joseph Moolayil

You certainly should take the vaccine since you are certainly susceptible to Covid-19/Omicron infection and its complications, which may be life threatening even if you do not have any pre-existing illnesses, taking your age into consideration.

Though we still do not have any Omicron cases in Hyderabad, what measures are being taken by the government to ensure it doesn’t make its way into the state? Also, does this variant spread much faster? —Geetali Banerjee

As of now, screening of all flyers (especially international), ensuring testing/tracing, enforcing quarantine etc are being taken up by the government. It is up to individuals and community also to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour personally and within their society, to keep the disease at bay. And yes, it does spread much faster than other variants. But thankfully, it is only a mild disease.

With the new variant looming large, why is booster dose not being given to people who are ready to take it? At least senior citizens and others with comorbidities can take it, right? —G S Narayana

Yes, the possibility of a booster dose is being debated and discussed by experts and will be given shortly, based on their recommendations. However, those who took only one dose should receive the due second dose without fail.

n What's your advice to pregnant women/ lactating mothers on Covid-19 vaccination? — Nikhita Menon

It’s highly recommended for them to take the vaccine since it will protect the mother directly and the baby indirectly (by transferring antibodies)

Any special/priority group for vaccination? —Karthik V

All persons above 18 are eligible. However, senior citizens with comorbidities (DM, hypertension, cancer, respiratory/heart/kidney/liver diseases) should receive Covid-19 vaccine compulsorily.

How about vaccination for children? — Neetu Singh

As per the available information it is going to start in a phased manner all across the country in 2022. Children from 12 to 18 years of age, especially with comorbidities will be given vaccines on priority basis. In the case of children younger than that, data/ studies suggest that they have good immunity and Covid-19 is unlikely to become a serious/life threatening issue among them, even if they are infected.

How important is the vaccine cerficate? -Ramesh Rao

It is going to be as important as an ID proof we carry for all practical purposes. But, different from a regular ID, you may need to carry it to enter malls, cinema halls, hotels etc in the future. At present, it is mandatory for air travel to all international and some domestic destinations.

Any further advice for common people to stay safe? — S S Sekhar

People should avoid crowded places up to Sankranti. Travel only if compulsory. Make Covid-19 appropriate behaviour a part of your routine life.

Senior citizens, especially with comorbidities, young children and pregnant women to be more cautious. Do not panic, do not believe in rumours, irresponsible social platforms, check with reliable health authorities for facts and latest updates.