Virologist Dr. Gagandeep Kang Talks About Omicron And Its Severity

Gagandeep Kang on Omicron: Virologist Dr. Gagandeep Kang said in an interview that people across the world will have to learn to live with SARS-CoV-2 as its variants will continue to emerge. She also said that there will be many waves time and again but the new variant Omicron is comparatively less severe than other variants. 

Talking about sending children to schools, she said that we should be sending children to school as the severity of COVID-19 in children is less. She added that there is very less data available which can confirm which vaccine would be the best to be used as a booster shot in India.

The announcement comes after India recorded the highest spike in cases of Omicron across the world. The country recorded 309 cases of the Omicron. India recorded 16,764 fresh cases of coronavirus. The caseload now stands at 91,361. Ahead of New Year's eve, state governments across the country have implemented curbs such as night curfews and banning new year parties to dissuade people from stepping out of their houses.

More about Dr. Gagandeep Kang

• Kang, a researcher is a part of the list of Royal Society fellow.
• Dr Gagandeep Kang made history by becoming the first Indian woman to be elected as Fellow of the Royal Society, London, in the academy’s 359 years long history
• Her research focuses on viral infections mainly in children, and the testing of rotavirus vaccines.
• She has had over 300 scientific research papers published till date as she serves on the editorial boards for several journals.
• She is also a member of several review committees for national and international research funding agencies.
• In 2015, Kang took up the onus of chairing the WHO SEAR’s Regional Immunisation Technical Advisory Group.
• Kang was awarded the prestigious Infosys Science Foundation in 2016 for pioneering contributions in the natural history of rotavirus and other infectious diseases. Read more about her.