Get vaccinated now, don’t wait for the Omicron shot: Experts

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• Dec 3, 2021 | moderator

New Delhi: India reported two covid cases of the Omicron variant, as per the Health Ministry report, making it the 30th country in the world to report the coronavirus strain that has triggered global alarm. Both the cases have been reported in Karnataka with the patients being two men aged 66 and 46, the Health Ministry's Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal told a news briefing, adding that their identities will not be disclosed for now to protect their privacy.

Also read: Omicron is here: Wear mask, maintain social distancing, stay safe

According to sources, while the 66-year-old is a foreigner with a history of travel to South Africa, the 46-year-old is a health worker in Bengaluru. The first patient left India seven days after his results came back positive.

Amid this, the government has urged the public to be alert and follow all necessary covid protocols including vaccination.

Don’t wait, get vaccinated. While the vaccination drive is still underway, around 15 vaccine experts, infectious disease doctors and public-health officials polled by Bloomberg after the rise of the new omicron variant sent vaccine makers rushing to revamp their shots in case new versions are needed.

The experts have urged the public to not wait and instead get vaccinated with the covid vaccines. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday informed that the government has put all government departments on high alert and also appealed to people to avoid unnecessary gatherings amid rising concerns over the new Covid variant.

Manish Sisodia also informed that the government departments, especially health, have been instructed to again enhance infrastructure and other necessary facilities to tackle any possible threat of the new variant.

Early indications have suggested the heavily-mutated Omicron may be markedly more contagious than previous variants, however, there has been no evidence of the strain any deadlier.

"It is too early to assess whether Omicron causes more severe infection or less compared to other variants, including Delta," Mr Agarwal said.

Also read: Omicron Arrives at India, No Concern Reported from Assam Government

First discovered in southern Africa, Omicron represents a fresh challenge to global efforts to battle the pandemic with several nations already re-imposing restrictions many had hoped were a thing of the past.

It is the latest coronavirus strain to emerge since the start of the pandemic, including the currently dominant Delta variant, which was first detected in India in October 2020.