Omicron Cases Cross 100 Mark In India, Health Ministry Warns Variant Is "Spreading Rapidly"

Omicron spreading rapidly warns health ministry: The much dreaded new variant of coronavirus- Omicron is spreading rapidly across the world, accounting for 2.4 percent of all COVID-19 cases globally. This information was shared by Indian Health Ministry during its briefing on December 17. The ministry also confirmed that the Omicron tally in India has crossed the 100 mark.

On Friday, India recorded 7447 cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, along with 391 deaths. While the number of coronavirus cases has been on a decline, the emergence and subsequent spread of Omicron has sparked concerns of third a third wave of the pandemic in the country.

During the briefing today, Lav Agrawal, Health Ministry Joint Secretary, also quoted data from World Health Organisation, according to which Omicron variant has now been reported in 91 countries. WHO has said that Omicron is spreading faster than the Delta variant in South Africa where Delta circulation was low. "It’s likely Omicron will outpace Delta variant where community transmission occurs, WHO added," Agrawal said.

The statement comes on the day when the nation's capital city reported 10 new cases of Omicron. Total 11 states in India have reported Omicron cases so far. Maharashtra is leading the tally with 32 cases.

Suggested Reading: Omicron FAQ: Is It A ‘Super-Variant?’ Can It Evade Vaccines?

To contain the spread of Omicron, Mumbai police have implemented section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure till new year's eve. People are expected to observe Covid Appropriate Behaviour, the guidelines for which were issued in Maharashtra, in November this year. Read more about that here.

About Omicron variant

The new coronavirus variant- B.1.1.529, was first reported by South Africa on November 24. Within two days, the World Health Organisation deemed it as a "variant of concern". Omicron has close to 50 mutations, with many on its spike protein, which has sparked concerns over its ability to escape a person's immunity system that has been boosted by a previous infection or vaccination. "Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs," WHO had said in its early statement on the variant.

While the efficacy of various vaccines against this new variant is still being assessed, various scientists and researchers have suggested to boost the efforts of vaccination across the globe. The Indian Health Ministry officials said on December 14 that over 55 percent of the adult population in the country is now fully vaccinated.