India on high alert of COVID-19’s Omicron variant

NEW DELHI: NOV. 30 – India is on high alert of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus, though its presence has not been confirmed yet in the country. A Indian national, 32, who arrived from South Africa in Mumbai via Delhi on Nov. 24 reportedly tested positive on the basis of his samples collected on arrival.

However, it is yet to be ascertained if he has the Omicron variant, according to local media reports on Monday. Health authorities in Mumbai have alerted the airport authorities and efforts are on to locate the man’s co-passengers.

Meanwhile, the man’s samples have been sent for genome sequencing to find out if he is carrying the Omicron variant.

Amid apprehension over the Omicron variant, Karnataka state’s health minister K. Sudhakar was quoted as saying on Monday that one of the two foreign nationals who came to the state from South Africa had been affected by a variant different from the Delta.

But the minister has declined to say anything officially, saying the state government is in touch with the central government and Indian Council of Medical Research for more clarification, according to the report of news agency Press Trust of India. The federal health ministry announced a new advisory on Sunday night for international travellers and airlines, points of entry, namely airports, seaports and land border.

All travellers wishing to travel to India are asked to submit a self-declaration form on the online portal “Air Suvidha” before the scheduled travel, including last 14 days travel details. They have also been directed to upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report, which should have been conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey. In addition, each passenger shall also submit a declaration with respect to authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution, if found otherwise.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has a high number of mutations and it may be associated with immune escape potential and higher transmissibility. As per the World Health Organization, the likelihood of potential further spread of Omicron at the global level is “high” and the overall risk related to the variant of concern is “very high”, said Indian media reports.

Director of Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Randeep Guleria also laid stressed on the need to very vigilant. “We must ask everyone to religiously follow COVID-appropriate behaviour and not let their guards down,” said the AIIMS chief.

-Xinhua/RSS