NEW DELHI — India has detected first two cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant in Karnataka, a health ministry official said on Thursday.
Both the patients are men aged 66 years and 46 years with mild symptoms. Severe symptoms have not been noted, an official said during a press conference.
“All primary contacts and secondary contacts of both the cases have been traced and are being tested,” the health ministry’s joint secretary Lav Agarwal told a news briefing.
Need not panic about Omicron detection but awareness absolutely essential, follow Coivd-appropriate behaviour, avoid gatherings, Agarwal said.
The two cases of the variant were detected through INSACOG in Karnataka, adding that South East Asian region, including India, has only 3.1 per cent of world’s Covid-19 cases in last one week.
84.3 per cent of adult population in India got 1st dose of Covid vaccine, 49 per cent got 2nd dose, said the government.
The government stated that 373 cases of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in 29 nations so far and India was monitoring the situation.
“It is too early to assess whether Omicron causes more severe infection or less compared to variants, including Delta,” the official told the press conference quoting the World Health Organisation which has designated the new variant as a ‘variant of concern’.
Kerala and Maharashtra have over 10,000 active Covid cases while nine states and Union Territories have active cases between 1,000 and 10,000. The weekly Covid positivity rate was over 10 per cent in 15 districts and between 5 and 10 per cent in 18 districts, the official said. — (Agencies)