India’s Omicron COVID rely crossed the 100 mark on Friday after recording the best single day rise of 24 recent circumstances of the brand new variant, even because the Centre suggested folks to keep away from non-essential journey and mass gatherings and maintain New Yr celebrations at low depth.
Because the Omicron tally from 11 States and union territories stood at 111 precisely 15 days after the primary case of the doubtless extra contagious COVID variant was detected in Karnataka, 20 new circumstances have been reported from Maharashtra(8) and Delhi (12) to take their complete to 40 and 22 respectively. Telangana and Kerala recorded two extra circumstances every to take their tally to eight and 7 respectively.
You may observe coronavirus circumstances, deaths and testing charges on the nationwide and State ranges here. A listing of State Helpline numbers is offered as properly.
Listed below are the most recent developments:
Nationwide
Pressing have to scale-up public well being, social measures to curtail Omicron unfold, says WHO
With seven nations within the South-East Asia Area confirming circumstances of recent COVID-19 variant Omicron, the World Well being Group on December 18 burdened on pressing scale-up of public well being and social measures to curtail its additional unfold.
Nations can and should stop the unfold of Omicron with confirmed well being and social measures, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Area, Poonam Khetrapal Singh mentioned.
“Our focus should proceed to be to guard the least protected and people at excessive danger,” she mentioned in an announcement. – PTI
Maharashtra
16 college students of Navi Mumbai college take a look at constructive
Sixteen college students of a college at Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai have examined constructive for coronavirus and admitted to a neighborhood COVID Care Centre, a civic official mentioned on Saturday.
They’re college students of Courses 8 to 11, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Company (NMMC) official mentioned.
“The daddy of one of many college students had returned from Qatar on December 9. The person, who resides along with his household at Gothivali in Ghansoli, had examined unfavourable for the COVID-19 an infection. Nonetheless, when his relations have been examined, his son, a Class 11 pupil of the varsity, was discovered contaminated,” he mentioned.
After this, the method to check all the scholars within the college – Shetkari Shikshan Sanstha – started, and to this point, 16 have been discovered constructive, he added.
“Until now, 811 college students within the college have been examined over the past three days and this train might be carried out on 600 others on Saturday,” the official mentioned.
The contaminated college students are present process therapy on the facility in Vashi, he mentioned. — PTI
WHO approves Novavax vaccine for emergency use in opposition to COVID
The World Well being Group has given emergency approval to a coronavirus vaccine made by U.S.-based Novavax and the Serum Institute of India, paving the way in which for its inclusion within the U.N.-backed program to get such vaccines to poorer nations around the globe.
The vaccine, generally known as CovavaxTM, is the ninth to be granted an emergency use authorization from the U.N. well being company, marking a vote of confidence for Novavax that would additionally imply the photographs might be accepted by some nations that solely admit vacationers vaccinated with WHO-backed jabs.
The Serum Institute is producing the Novavax-developed vaccine and an enormous query is how a lot provide it may ship, and when. The vaccine was lengthy anticipated to assist improve international vaccine provides, because the photographs require solely refrigerated storage — an interesting possibility for low-income nations in comparison with different vaccines that require very chilly storage. – AP
Switzerland
Swiss launch new restrictions amid surge in COVID infections
The Swiss authorities mentioned Friday it should require proof of vaccination or restoration from COVID-19 for entry to eating places, cultural or sports activities occasions and all different indoor occasions because the nation faces a brand new surge in coronavirus circumstances.
The manager Federal Council, after coordinating with regional leaders, introduced a collection of recent measures to take impact Monday. Pressure is rising on Swiss hospitals after the whole variety of COVID-19 sufferers in intensive care items exceeded the essential threshold of 300.
“The epidemiological scenario is extraordinarily worrying; the variety of hospital admissions continues to rise and the occupancy of intensive care items could be very excessive in some areas,” the federal government mentioned in an announcement. – AP
France
France urges vaccine uptake, bans New Yr’s concert events
French authorities on Friday urged folks to get vaccinated in opposition to the coronavirus forward of the vacation festivities as infections surge and the federal government tries to keep away from one other lockdown.
“The fifth wave is right here and it’s right here in full power,” Prime Minister Jean Castex informed a information convention, including that the fast-spreading omicron variant is predicted to dominate infections in France at the beginning of January.
To curb the unfold of the virus throughout the holidays, the federal government banned public concert events and fireworks shows at New Yr’s celebrations and referred to as on folks to keep away from massive gatherings and restrict the variety of relations congregating at Christmas. – AP
USA
New York tallies report variety of COVID-19 infections
New York state reported Friday that simply over 21,000 folks had examined constructive for COVID-19 the day past, the best single-day complete for brand new circumstances since testing grew to become broadly accessible.
One-day snapshots of virus statistics may be an unreliable solution to measure tendencies, however the brand new report punctuated a gradual improve that began within the western a part of the state in late October, and has taken off in New York Metropolis prior to now week because the omicron variant spreads.
“That is altering so rapidly. The numbers are going up exponentially by day,” Gov. Kathy Hochul mentioned throughout a Friday look on CNN. – AP
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ICMR approves indigenously developed package to detect present COVID-19 variants
The CoviDelta diagnostics package developed indigenously by Pune-based GenePath Diagnostics has been authorised by the Indian Council of Medical Analysis (ICMR), firm sources mentioned on Friday. The package detects all present variants of COVID-19 and flags presumptive Delta and Omicron variants in a single take a look at, mentioned Dr. Nickhil Jakatdar, CEO, GenePath Diagnostics.
“This package is able to detecting all essential COVID-19 variants described internationally to this point, together with the presently dominant Delta and Omicron variants. This made-in-India package is fast and value efficient and has been authorised by the ICMR as with the ability to detect COVID-19 variants with excessive sensitivity and specificity,” he mentioned.
Dr. Nikhil Phadke, founder and chief science officer at GenePath Diagnostics, mentioned that the ‘CoviDelta package’ helped flag the presence of the primary Omicron case in Pune metropolis, which was subsequently confirmed by the Union Well being Ministry’s Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
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Two extra Omicron circumstances in Kerala
Two extra circumstances of COVID-19 brought on by the virus variant Omicron have been confirmed within the State, taking the whole variety of such circumstances within the State to seven, Well being Minister Veena George mentioned right here on Friday.
Omicron was confirmed in a husband-wife duo, aged 68 and 67 years, who flew into Kochi from Sharjah on December 8.
As per the Centre’s directive, the United Arab Emirates shouldn’t be on the record of “high-risk” nations and, therefore, this couple had been allowed to be on self-observation somewhat than quarantine.
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Omicron tally rises to eight in Telangana
At a time when the pandemic gave the impression to be underneath management in Telangana, the State has been getting Omicron circumstances from overseas and its tally went as much as eight on Friday.
The contaminated individuals got here from Kenya (3), Abu Dhabi (2) and Dubai, Sudan and the UK (1 every). Two of them have been from `in danger’ nations and 6 from `not in danger’ nations. Another boy who was on a transit halt at Hyderabad worldwide airport examined constructive however the results of genome sequencing was identified after he had left for Kolkata.
Of the eight contaminated individuals within the State, seven have been from in and round Tolichowki in Hyderabad and one lady from Hanamkonda. She examined unfavourable on arrival from the UK however confirmed as constructive case by the results of genome sequencing on Thursday night.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu to hunt Centre’s nod for 7-day dwelling quarantine of all worldwide travellers
Tamil Nadu will search permission from the Union Authorities to introduce a seven-day dwelling quarantine for all worldwide travellers, together with these arriving from non-risk nations, Well being Minister Ma. Subramanian mentioned.
At the moment, all travellers from 12 nations deemed at-risk are subjected to RT-PCR exams on the worldwide airports within the State. Two per cent of travellers from non-risk nations are randomly examined as per current pointers.
The transfer to hunt seven-day dwelling quarantine got here after travellers from non-risk nations equivalent to Nigeria and Congo examined constructive for COVID-19 on being randomly examined on arrival, and an evaluation of the samples lifted from them and their COVID-positive contacts discovered S-gene dropout, a marker for the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. As of now, Tamil Nadu has one confirmed case of the Omicron variant in a 47-year-old man, who had travelled from Nigeria to Chennai by way of Doha.
Karnataka
Passenger from Ghana, 7 college students take a look at constructive in Mangaluru
A passenger who has arrived at Mangaluru Worldwide Airport from Ghana, a high-risk nation, has examined constructive for COVID-19. The passenger, who’s asymptomatic, was admitted to the isolation ward on the Authorities Wenlock Hospital within the metropolis on Thursday night time, in line with Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Okay.V. Rajendra. The throat and nasal swab samples of the passenger have been despatched to Bengaluru for genomic sequence evaluation, he mentioned on Friday.
Mr. Rajendra who held a gathering with the airport and Well being Division officers on the airport on Friday mentioned 27 passengers within the combat who have been seated with the passenger, together with within the entrance three rows and rear three rows. have been recognized as main contacts and quarantined after conducting RT-PCR take a look at.
