Sydney, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) A fully vaccinated elderly man in his 80s from New South Wales (NSW) in Australia is believed to be the first person to die due to the Omicron variant of Covid-19, even as 520 patients are hospitalised in the country due to the virus.

The man died at Westmead Hospital and was a resident of the Uniting Lilian Wells aged care facility at North Parramatta, in western Sydney, where he acquired his infection, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

He was fully vaccinated but had underlying health conditions.

NSW Health's Christine Selvey said the man was believed to be the first person to die in the state after being infected with the Omicron variant and urged people to come forward for a booster or third dose if they were eligible.

According to federal government data released last week, 33 residents and 11 staff members at the North Parramatta aged care facility have recently been infected with Covid-19.

On Monday, 520 Covid-19 patients were in hospital, 55 of whom were in intensive care in NSW as 6,324 new cases were recorded and QR codes and density limits returned in certain settings, the report said.

Two other deaths due to Covid-19 were reported: a woman in her 90s who died at Wyong Hospital and a man in his 80s who died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Both had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said everyone in Australia will "get Omicron at some stage".

"Everybody in Australia will get Omicron, and what we're seeing at the moment is far milder symptoms," he said, urging people against calling an ambulance or going to hospital if their symptoms were not severe, with about 2,000 hospital staff currently on furlough.

"That's putting enormous pressure on other staff in our hospitals," he was quoted as saying.

Hazzard said that people who tested positive and didna?t have to go to hospital would be able to leave isolation after 10 days if they were symptom-free.

"You can leave your home because we know that you are very unlikely at that point to be infectious," he said.

South Australia has scrapped the PCR test requirement for incoming travellers while heightening restrictions for venues and home gatherings, but is asking visitors to take rapid antigen tests.

The NSW government is expecting pressure on Covid-19 testing centres to die down in the New Year after people's travel plans take place.

Senior ministers are in discussions about the procurement of more rapid antigen tests to cope with ongoing demand, with an announcement expected soon.

Source: IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Covid-19 vaccination for about 25.53 lakh children between 15 and 18 years age group in Odisha will start from January 3, 2022, officials said here on Monday.

As per Prime Minister's announcement, vaccination programmes for 15-18 years population, precaution doses for healthcare & frontline workers and above 60 years with comorbidities or other health problems will start in the state next month, said director health and family welfare, Bijay Panigrahi.

"In Odisha, we have about 25.53 lakh Covid-19 vaccine beneficiaries of the age of 15 to 18 years. Their vaccination will start from January 3," he said.

Similarly, over 7 lakh healthcare and frontline workers will also receive a precautionary dose of Covid vaccine in the state, he said.

There are about 52.37 lakh above 60 years population in Odisha, of which, the persons who have comorbidities like blood pressure, kidney problem and other health issues can get the jabs after consulting their doctors, the director said.

The vaccination programme for the healthcare professionals, frontline workers and senior citizens with comorbidities will start from January 10.

Till now, vaccination programmes are underway at 2,600 centres across Odisha. Around eight mobile teams have been deployed in each block to speed up the vaccination.

If required, the state government is planning to conduct vaccination drives for children at schools and colleges. Since teachers will be present at the schools and colleges, if necessary, the parents of the students will have to come along with them, officials said.

While 29 lakh beneficiaries in the state have not taken the first dose, about 30 lakh are yet to take the second dose of the Covid-vaccine, they said.

Meanwhile, director of public health Niranjan Mishra said that there is no need for lockdown or a night curfew in the state under present circumstances.

Among the foreign returnees, only 18 have tested Covid positive, of them, eight have tested positive for Omicron variant. While one of them has already recovered, the other's health condition is stable, he said, adding, "So there is no need for a lockdown or a night curfew in the current situation."

Source: IANS

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New York, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) After lack of access to adequate doses, many poor countries are now facing vaccine resistance, which according to scientists could be a source of new variants, such as Omicron, Nature reported.

"When you have a lot of community transmission, that's where variants will emerge," Jeffrey Lazarus, a global health researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Spain, was quoted as saying.

Addressing people's hesitancy is therefore crucial, to curb viral spread and to avert hospitalisations and deaths, he said.

According to scientists, hesitancy might now be contributing to the slow uptake of vaccines in South Africa, one of the nations where Omicron was first detected, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Papua New Guinea and Nepal. These countries have large proportions of the unvaccinated populations.

"We have more hesitant people in the global south than we ever thought we did," Rupali Limaye, a behavioural scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, was quoted as saying. Although in many countries, limited supply is still the main problem, the researchers said.

Until late October, many African nations "didn't have enough doses", but even after getting adequate amounts of vaccines in most countries just 64 per cent of the vaccines have so far been administered, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

In South Africa, for example, the number of doses administered each week has fallen to less than one-quarter of doses given at the peak of the vaccination drive in September. This is despite only 44 per cent of adults having been vaccinated with at least one dose.

According to Espoir Malembaka, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who is based in Bukavu, DRC, except for travellers getting ready to board flights, people are not "really in a rush to get the vaccine". He believes that the problem is not access to, but mistrust of, the vaccines.

Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy has long been recognised as a problem in high- and middle-income nations.

A major concern is safety, especially because the vaccines were developed and delivered rapidly and the recommendations for their use have often changed, researchers said. Misinformation coupled with lack of trust in governments have also played a role in hesitancy.

Source: IANS

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Panaji, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Goa's first detected Omicron patient is an eight-year-old boy who had returned from the UK on December 17, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Monday.

Taking to Twitter, he said: "8 yr old boy who had travelled from the UK on 17.12.2021 has tested positive for #OmicronVirus as confirmed by NIV Pune.

"We will take steps as per the protocol of the government of India, necessary stringent measures will be taken by the government of Goa in public interest based on the advice given by the expert committee."

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Union Home Ministry on Monday extended the Covid-19 guidelines

till January 31, 2022 and directed all the states and union territories to strictly comply.

In a letter to all Chief Secretaries of the states and UTs, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla said that the country has witnessed an overall decline in active Covid-19 cases, however, the new variant Omicron, which is reported to be at least three times more transmissible than the Delta virus, is posing a new challenge for the Covid containment measures.

In the countries with Omicron driven surge, the growth trajectory of cases has been very steep and also a total of 578 Omicron cases have already been reported in 19 states/UTs, he added.

"I would like to reiterate that all the states/UTs must observe all precautions and not let the guard down. Local/district administration, based on the normative framework and assessment of the situation, should promptly take appropriate containment measures and the states may consider imposing need based, local curbs or restrictions to control the crowd during the festive season," Bhalla said in the letter.

The Home Secretary also said that globally, Omicron cases have already been reported in 116 countries. Further, surge in cases is also being reported across various countries, especially in the USA, the UK, Europe (France, Italy, Spain), Russia, South Africa, Vietnam, Australia and in this background, the Union Health Ministry has provided an advisory on December 21, 2021, a normative framework has been provided.

"With distinct presence of the Delta variant and detection of Omicron cases in many states, there is a need for greater foresight, data analysis, dynamic decision making, and strict and prompt containment actions at the local and district levels, based on the assessment of the situation," the letter further reads.

Emphasising on the continued focus on the fivefold strategy of "Test-Track Treat Vaccination and adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour, he also said that to avoid the possibility of surge in cases, especially keeping in view the new virus of concern Omicron, the State enforcement machinery should strictly implement the norms of health protocols and appropriate behaviour such as wearing of face masks and maintaining safe social distancing in all public areas and gatherings.

Referring to the review meeting held by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 23 on the situation arising out of the increase in Omicron cases, he said that under the PM's direction of 'Satark' and 'Saavdhan', it was important to maintain a high-level of vigil and alertness at all levels and all state governments should ensure that the health systems in the states are strengthened to meet any challenge posed by the new variant.

Further, the state governments/UT administrations should ensure that the oxygen supply equipment are installed and are fully functional and the buffer stock of essential drugs should also be maintained, he added.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Union Health Ministry on Monday submitted a report on the rising Covid cases along with the new variant Omicron and the status of vaccination coverage across the nation to the Election Commission.

According to a source with the ministry, the Election Commission and Union Health Ministry discussed the rising number of new Covid variant Omicron cases across the country with special focus on the five poll-bound states. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan presented a detailed report on the transmissibility of the Omicron variant in the states.

Asked about the Omicron spread in the next three months, the health secretary said that nothing can be said at the moment. The daily Covid caseload can see around 25 per cent jump in next few months as per the present rate of infection, he said in the meeting.

The health officials also gave details about the districts where the R value has increased, said the source.

The Assembly election is scheduled for five states - Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Punjab in 2022.

However, the schedule for the Assembly poll is likely be announced in the first week of January, said the source. The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other officials are scheduled to visit Uttar Pradesh to take stock of the poll preparedness in the state on Tuesday.

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Source: IANS

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Washington, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the US, New York City has seen a four-fold rise in children being hospitalised for Covid-19 since early December.

According to the New York State Health Department, the increase was observed in children 18 and under beginning the week of December 5 through the current week, ABC News reported.

At the time of hospitalisation, none of the 5- to 11-year-olds with Covid-19 were fully vaccinated, the Department said.

However, about one-third of 12- to 17-year-olds admitted due to Covid-19 are fully vaccinated.

"The risks of Covid-19 for children are real," acting State Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said in a statement.

"We are alerting New Yorkers to this recent striking increase in paediatric Covid-19 admissions so that paediatricians, parents and guardians can take urgent action to protect our youngest New Yorkers."

About 27 per cent of 5- to 11-year-olds and nearly 72 per cent of 12- to 17-year-olds in New York state have received at least one vaccine dose, state data shows.

"Unfortunately NY is seeing an increase in paediatric hospitalisations (primarily amongst the unvaccinated), and they have similar (5- to 11-year-old) vaccination rates," Erica Pan, the California state epidemiologist, said on Twitter.

"Please give your children the gift of vaccine protection as soon as possible as our case (numbers) are increasing rapidly," she added.

The State Department of Health issued an advisory reminding parents to "not assume a mild respiratory illness" as a routine "cold", but to test for Covid-19.

"Although Covid-19 is usually mild in children, there are risks of serious illness and sequelae for children, and if not isolated they can contribute to community transmission," the statement read.

The advisory also "strongly" recommended Covid-19 vaccination for children age 5 and up and boosters for those eligible; wearing a wellfitting mask, social distancing, and avoidance of crowds.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) In the wake of a spike in the number of daily Covid-19 cases in the national capital amid the emergence of the new Omicron variant, the BJP on Monday asked the Delhi government to prepare a roadmap to contain the spread of the virus and close all educational institutes.

On Monday, schools up to class 5, which were shut earlier this month due to the deteriorating air quality, reopened as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi improved marginally from 'severe' to 'very poor'.

Classes for students from class 6 and above had begun on December 18

Taking to Twitter, Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta, said: "Coronavirus cases have been increasing in Delhi from the past few days. We demand Delhi government to close all the educational institutions keeping in mind the health of the children. I demand the Delhi government to call an all-party meeting and share the roadmap to save Delhi from Covid."

In an effort to curb the rising cases, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government has imposed a night curfew from Monday from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The national capital on Sunday recorded 290 fresh Covid cases, the highest single-day spike since June 10, which increased the the national capital's overall infection tally to 14,43,352.

According to the Delhi health department, the city had recorded 305 Covid cases in a single day on June 10.

In the past 24 hours, one person succumbed to the virus, pushing the death toll at 25,105.

The positivity rate has also climbed to 0.55 per cent.

Delhi has, so far, detected 79 cases of the new Omicron variant. Of these, 23 have been discharged from the hospital.

Source: IANS

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Washington, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Even as the Omicron variant rapidly spreads across the globe, cases of Covid-19 are likely going to keep surging, top US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has said.

The highly transmissible variant has outpaced Delta, to become the dominant variant, accounting for nearly three-quarters of Covid cases in the country.

According to Johns Hopkins University's latest update on Monday morning, the US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 52,259,716 and 816,597. Till last Thursday, the US had reported more than 51 million total cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The US also topped 800,000 total deaths from the disease in mid-December.

"Every day it goes up and up. The last weekly average was about 150,000 and it likely will go much higher," Fauci was quoted as saying on ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday.

While studies show Omicron is less severe in terms of hospitalisations, Fauci stressed that people should not "to get complacent" because "when you have such a high volume of new infections, it might override a real diminution in severity."

"If you have many, many, many more people with a less level of severity, that might kind of neutralise the positive effect of having less severity when you have so many more people," he explained.

"And we're particularly worried about those who are in that unvaccinated class ... those are the most vulnerable ones when you have a virus that is extraordinarily effective in getting to people."

Only 61.7 per cent of the US population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to CDC data.

Meanwhile, last week President Joe Biden announced a plan to distribute 500 million free at-home rapid tests to Americans beginning in January. The tests will be delivered by mail to Americans who request them. A website to request the tests will launch in January, according to the administration.

However, the Omicron surge has created a massive rush for tests, which according to Fauci is a failure of the federal government.

"Obviously, testing is going to be very important, that we get a greater capability of testing, particularly when the demand for testing is so high," Fauci said.

Fauci noted that the US is seeing "the combination of the Omicron variant itself, as well as the holiday season, where people want to get that extra level of assuredness that they're protected," even if you are vaccinated and boosted.

"One of the problems is that that's not going to be totally available to everyone until we get to January, and there are still some issues now of people having trouble getting tested, but we're addressing the testing problem, and that very soon that will be corrected" he said.

Further, he said that there were "essentially no rapid points of care home tests available" in the beginning of the Biden administration in 2021.

"Now there are over nine of them and more coming", he said adding "the production of them has been rapidly upscaled".

Last week, Biden was quoted as saying on ABC News that he wished he "had thought about ordering" 500 million at-home tests "two months ago". Biden added "nothing's been good enough" when it comes to the availability of at-home tests.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Tamil Nadu Government Doctors' Association has requested Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to shift school and college classes purely to online mode.

In a representation to the chief minister, the association's president Dr K. Senthil said that Omicron variant of the Covid-19 is a super spreader and spreads four times faster than the earlier Delta variants.

He said that school and college students attending classes physically would act as super spreaders and to prevent that, classes be shifted to online mode. The doctors' body said that this was the right time to bring in restrictions as the variant spreads fast and if not acted now, it would be late and the spread would leave a large number of people affected by the disease.

The association also said that the health infrastructure at the present level may not be able to handle the heavy spread of disease if a super spread happens and called upon the government to prevent that.

In the representation, the doctors body said that safe distancing, wearing of masks and usage of sanitisers and frequent washing of hands with soap has to be continuously practiced and no lethargy be shown in any of these.

The association also requested the Chief Minister to prevent all forms of gatherings, including marriage functions, religious celebrations, and attendance in death mourning and funerals to prevent the spread.

It also welcomed the decision to provide booster doses or preventive doses to senior citizens, health care professionals, and Covid -19 front line warriors as well as children in the age group of 15-18 years.

Dr K. Senthil also called upon the government to stockpile all the essential medical infrastructure necessary to handle emergency situations including Oxygen cylinders, PPE kits for health care professionals and medicines for acting in tough situations.

Source: IANS

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Bhopal, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Indore in Madhya Pradesh has reported as many as eight cases of Omicron infections, the state health said on Monday.

Of the eight cases, three had returned from the United States, two each from the United Kingdom and Tanzania, and one from Ghana.

This is the first time that the Madhya Pradesh government has officially confirmed the presence of Omicron cases in the state. "Eight Omicron cases have been found in Indore. Out of these, six have recovered and have been discharged while two are undergoing treatment, Narottam Mishra, the state government's spokesman said.

He said around 3,000 people recently returned to Indore from abroad and 26 of them were found to be infected with the Coronavirus. "Omicron was confirmed in the genome sequencing of eight of these people," he said.

The samples of these people, who returned to the state's industrial hub Indore from different countries, were taken between December 17 and 21, according to officials.

Those infected includ two men aged 20 and 30 years, who came from New York (US) on December 14 and 19 respectively, a 23-year-old woman who arrived from London (UK) on December 14, two women aged 33 and 26 who returned from Tanzania (east Africa) on December 19, a 33-year-old woman who returned from Ghana (west Africa) on December 17, and two men aged 26 and 31 years, who arrived from Dubai on December 13 and 18 respectively, they said.

Night curfew has been imposed in the state between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. since December 23. Taking into consideration the Covid situation, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has stated that more restrictions are likely in coming days.

Source: IANS

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Jaipur, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) As many as 62 Covid-19 cases were registered in Rajasthan in the past 24 hours, taking the active caseload in the state to 318, health officials said on Monday.

Of the total, Jaipur accounted for 46 cases for the first time in the last six months, they confirmed.

Earlier, it was in June 19 that 55 cases were reported in the pink city.

Besides Jaipur, four cases were recorded in Udaipur, three each in Bikaner and Ganganagar, two each in Ajmer, Jodhpur and Pratapgarh and one case each in Sikar and Jodhpur.

Overall 317 people have tested positive in December of which 28 cases were of Omicron.

Source: IANS

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Seoul, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) South Korea on Monday approved an emergency authorization of US drug giant Pfizer Inc.'s oral drug to treat Covid-19, making it the first such pill to be used in the country.

Paxlovid is the antiviral pill for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in patients at increased risk of hospitalisation or death, according to Pfizer and the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

The Ministry convened a panel of experts from both inside and outside to review the safety and efficacy of Paxlovid, and concluded that the oral pill is needed to deal with the public health crisis, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The drug is a protease inhibitor antiviral therapy that is specifically designed to be administered orally so that it can be prescribed at the first sign of infection or at first awareness of an exposure.

The Ministry said trial results showed Paxlovid significantly reduces the risk of hospitalisation or death in patients at high risk of severe illness.

The pill will be prescribed to use in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older who are at high risk for progression to severe cases.

Paxlovid should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis of Covid-19 within five days, and will be prescribed for twice a day for five days.

The Ministry forecasts Paxlovid to be effective against the new Omicron variant.

Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration granted an Emergency Use Authorization approval of Paxlovid.

Currently, Remdesivir, which is developed by Gilead Sciences Inc., is used to treat critically ill Covid-19 patients in South Korea.

Also, Rekirona, developed by South Korean pharmaceutical giant Celltrion Inc., is used to reduce the risk of progressing to severe cases.

Both Remdesivir and Rekirona take the form of an intravenous injection.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) India registered 6,531 new Covid cases and 315 deaths in a span of 24 hours, and the Omicron infection tally has reached 578, said the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Monday.

Out of the total Omicron positive cases, 151 have been discharged from the various hospitals they were admitted to. So far 19 states have reported the Omicron cases, the Union health ministry said.

The recovery of 7,141 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally to 3,42,37,495. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.40 per cent, highest since March 2020.

India's active caseload is presently at 75,841. Active cases constitute 0.22 per cent of the country's total positive cases, which is the lowest since March 2020.

Also in the same period, a total of 7,52,935 tests were conducted across the country. India has so far conducted over 67.29 crore cumulative tests.

Meanwhile, the weekly positivity rate at 0.63 per cent has remained less than 1 per cent for the last 43 days now.

The daily positivity rate stands at 0.87 per cent, which has also remained below 2 per cent for the last 84 days and less than 3 per cent for 119 consecutive days now.

With the administration of 29,93,283 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's Covid inoculation coverage has reached 141.70 crore as of Monday morning.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Tamil Nadu health department in a statement said that it has inoculated 17.31 lakh, people during the 16th mega vaccination drive.

The mega drive was conducted on Sunday. According to information from the health department around 50,000 centres were set up for the mega vaccine drive, the 16th of its kind in the state.

A total of 5,17,126 people received the first jab of the vaccine during the camp while 12,14,151 received the second dose. The health department in the statement said that this has led to 85.71 per cent of the population taking the first dose of the vaccine and 57.85 percentage of the population taking the second dose of the jab.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian visited a few vaccination centres in Chennai on Sunday. The state is gearing up for providing vaccination to children in the age group of 15-18 from January 3 onwards and precautionary jab for the health workers and Covid-19 frontline warriors from January 10 onwards.

The health minister while speaking to IANS said, "The state is well prepared for the jab of children in the age group of 15-18 commencing from January 3 and for the precautionary jab for health care professionals and front line warriors fighting Covid -19 from January 10 onwards. Prime Minister has already announced the dates and the states have to set up the centres and healthcare professionals for executing the programme and we are well prepared for that."

With the rising cases of Omicron across the world and Tamil Nadu reporting 38 cases, the state health department has geared up for the possibility of rising cases. State health secretary J. Radhakrishnan has already conducted a virtual meeting with all the district collectors and district health officers and apprised them of the need for an increase in health infrastructure.

The Greater Chennai Corporation has already announced the setting up of camps in its own premises as schools and colleges that were used as camps are now opened.

Source: IANS

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Lucknow, Dec 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Uttar Pradesh has seen another spurt in Covid cases in the past 24 hours with 59 new cases being reported.

The total number of active cases under treatment in the state has crossed the 300-mark.

In all, 59 new Covid-19 cases were reported till Sunday while in the past 48-hours 96 new cases have been detected.

"In the past 24 hours, 18,587 Covid samples were tested and 59 new cases were reported," said Amit Mohan Prasad, additional chief secretary (medical health), in a press statement.

At present, the state has 323 Covid active cases.

"Lucknow reported 17 Covid cases in the past 48-hours, of which five cases were reported on Saturday and 12 on Sunday. The rising trend has to be checked with compliance of Covid protocol by one and all," said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary general, Association of International Doctors.

Among the new cases in Lucknow, two had returned from Dubai on December 19 and 24. One passenger who returned from Jharkhand and another from Mumbai tested positive for Covid.

A patient, who came from Jaunpur for treatment at KGMU, also tested positive while four tested positive during the contact tracing of a positive case. Another person tested positive at Lohia institute.

Dr Manoj Agrawal, chief medical officer of Lucknow, said that people should avoid journeys and travel only when it is necessary. He said that the use of masks was essential for the safety of self and others.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh reported on Sunday its third Omicron case after a 29-year-old woman, who returned from the US to Rae Bareli, tested positive for Covid-19 and later her sample taken for Omicron also came positive.

"The woman reached New Delhi from Florida (US) and then came to Rae Bareli. We took her sample on December 16 and it tested positive for Covid-19 in the RT-PCR test. The genome sequencing was done thereafter and it came out to be Omicron," said Dr Virendra Singh, chief medical officer (CMO), Rae Bareli. The woman is a photographer.

"The condition of the woman is fine and all her 12 contacts have tested negative for Covid," said Dr Singh.

Earlier, two omicron cases were reported in Ghaziabad.

Meanwhile, the third phase of sero-surveillance is starting in UP on Monday.

Under the fresh round, random sampling will be done among adult men, women and children in five districts while in 20 other districts sampling will be done in timeline.

Six hundred and forty samples each will be collected from Ballia, Shahjahanpur, Kushinagar, Ghaziabad and Sambhal, totalling to 3,200 samples. In these districts, samples will be taken in the ratio of 3 adult men to 3 adult women and 3 children. Sampling will be done at random.

All samples have to be collected in December. "We will begin sampling from Monday. A list of people from whom samples have to be taken is ready," said a senior health official in Lucknow.

In 20 other districts, 100 samples will be taken in different categories. The first category is of health workers who had tested positive for Covid between May 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.

Another category will be of 264 samples from among health workers who did not test positive till vaccination started on January 16, 2021. The next category is of people above 60-years of age who tested positive in the RT-PCR report between July 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021. A total of 332 samples will be taken collectively from all districts.

Source: IANS

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Hyderabad, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Three more cases of Omicron - two international travellers and a contact - have tested positive for Covid-19's Omicron variant in Telangana on Sunday, taking the state's tally to 44.

The two passengers have come from "at risk" countries and one who was a close contact of an Omicron patient.

On Sunday, as many as 248 passengers arrived from abroad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, and two tested positive for Covid.

Sixteen samples, including of these two, have been sent to genomic sequencing, and the result is awaited, according to the health bulletin.

From December 1, the authorities have screened 11,493 persons at the international airport, and out of them, 85 tested positive for Covid and 45 of these were detected to have the Omicron variant.

Of the total Omicron patients, 10 have recovered whole 34 are undergoing treatment. Out of all, only four patients arrived from "at risk" countries.

Source: IANS

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Thiruvanthapuram, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Sunday said 19 more Omicron cases have been confirmed, taking the state's tally to 57.

In a statement, she said that Ernakulam tops the list, with 11 new cases, while Thiruvananthapuram has six and Kannur and Thrissur districts have one case each.

Three of the cases in Ernakulam are persons who have arrived from the UK, two are those coming from the UAE and Ireland each, while returnees from Spain, Canada, Qatar, and the Netherlands are one each.

Of the cases reported in Thiruvananthapuram, one each are from the UK, Ghana, and Qatar, and the remaining three have contracted the disease through primary contacts.

The Omicron positive case in Thrissur district has arrived from UAE while the one in Kannur has arrived from Sharjah.

George called upon the people to be cautious with the number of Omicron cases on the rise. She said that people must wear masks, keep social distancing, and regularly sanitise and wash hands. She said that people who have not been vaccinated till now must inoculate themselves at the earliest.

She said that the people coming from abroad must abide by the Covid-19 protocols and be in home quarantine according to the Covid guidelines.

She also urged people to immediately inform the health workers if they find any symptoms related to Covid-19.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) The national capital on Sunday recorded 290 fresh Covid infections, which is the highest single day rise after June 10. The Covid infection tally in the city has now climbed to 14,43,352. According to Delhi health department, the city on June 10 had recorded 305 Covid cases.

The capital city has also recorded one Covid death in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 25,105. The Covid positivity rate has also climbed to 0.55 per cent. The city had recorded highest 0.67 per cent Covid positivity rate on June 4.

Delhi has so far detected 79 cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Of these, 23 have been discharged from hospitals.

The number of active Covid cases has also crossed 1,000 mark in the city and currently stands at 1,103 which is the highest after July 1. The health department has said that Delhi had recorded highest 1,357 active Covid cases on July 1. Presently, 583 Covid patients are being treated in home isolation.

With a 98.18 per cent Covid recovery rate, the active Covid case rate in Delhi has gone up to 0.076 per cent. The Covid death rate in the city stands at 1.74 per cent, while the number of Covid containment zones has risen to 279 in the city.

Meanwhile, a total of 52,947 new tests -- 50,059 RT-PCR and 2,888 Rapid Antigen - were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 3,23,99,242 so far.

Out of 1,09,032 vaccines administered in the last 24 hours, 37,964 were first dose and 71,068 second dose. The total number of cumulative beneficiaries vaccinated so far stands at 2,55,57,615, according to the health ministry's data.

Source: IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Maharashtra on Sunday reported 31 new cases of the Covid-19 variant Omicron, taking the state's tally to 141, with Mumbai accounting for the highest number, health officials said.

Of the 31 fresh cases, the maximum, 27 are from Mumbai alone, two are from Thane, and one each from Pune and Akola districts, with 30 having a history of recent international travel and one a close contact.

Among the infectees are 17 males and 14 females, six minors, three senior citizens and 22 of those eligible have taken their full vaccination.

While two patients are showing Omicron symptoms, the rest 29 are asymptomatic, and of the total 141 cases, 61 afflicted have been cured and discharged after they tested negative, said the state Health Department.

Intensive surveillance of passengers arriving at the three international airports - Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur - is currently underway since December 1.

A total of 25,744 travellers have landed here from the "high risk" countries of which 153 have tested positive and 55 from other countries, with all their reports sent for genomic sequencing to confirm if they are afflicted by Omicron.

Besides, 737 samples from field surveys conducted since November 1 have been sent for genomic sequencing with the results of 126 awaited, the officials said.

The current spread of Omicron is extensive in the state, with the maximum 73 cases in Mumbai, followed by 42 in Pune, seven in Thane, five each in Satara and Osmanabad, two each in Nagpur and Aurangabad, and one each in Akola, Palghar, Latur, Ahmednagar, and Buldhana.

On the Covid-19 front, the state has been recording a steady spike in cases and even fatalities in the past few days. The state notched 1,648 new infections on Sunday with 17 deaths and a mortality rate of 2.12 per cent.

Mumbai, Pune and Thane remain at the top with the highest number of active cases of the total 9,813 ill patients currently in the state, with a recovery rate of 97.67 per cent.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Night curfew will be re-imposed again in the national capital from Monday amid rising fresh Covid infections on daily basis.

The curfew will be imposed from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Delhi on Sunday recorded 290 fresh Covid infection which is highest single day rise after June 10. According to the Health Department, the city had recorded 305 Covid cases on June 10.

The Covid positivity rate has also climbed to 0.55 per cent, against 0.67 per cent Covid positivity on June 4.

The number of active Covid cases have also crossed 1,000 mark in the city and currently stand at 1,103 which is highest after July 1, when there were 1,357 active Covid cases, as per the Health Department.

One Covid death has also been reported in the city in last 24 hours, taking the death tally to 25,105.

Delhi has so far detected 79 cases of new Covid variant Omicron. Of these, 23 have been discharged from the hospital, according to officials.

Source: IANS

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Chandigarh, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two more people were found to be positive for Omicron variant in Chandigarh out of samples of five family contacts of previous Omicron positive case sent for genome sequencing, doctors said on Sunday.

The total number of Omicron variant patients in the city has now risen to three.

One of the Omicron variant is an 80-year-old man, who is a patient of hypertension but is asymptomatic. He has been isolated in hospital, and will be re-tested again on January 1.

The second is a 45-year-old male, who was reported as RT-PCR negative on December 24 and discharged.

The administration said genome sequencing report of remaining three is pending but they tested negative on RT-PCR retesting on December 24 and were discharged.

The city has now one active case.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) A senior epidemiologist from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Sunday termed the government decision of vaccinating teenagers "unscientific".

Dr Sanjay K. Rai, who is also the principal investigator of Covaxin trials for adults and children at the AIIMS, in a tweet, said: "I am a great fan of PM Modi for his selfless service to nation and taking right decisions at right time. But I am completely disappointed with his unscientific decision on children vaccination".

Before executing the plan, data from other countries on children vaccination should be analysed, said Dr Rai who is also also the President of the Indian Public Health Association.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on Saturday announced the vaccination for children aged between 15 to 18 will start from January 3. He also announced "precautionary" doses for frontline and healthcare workers.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech's Covid vaccine Covaxin on Saturday got approval from the Drug Controller General of India for emergency use for children aged between 12-18 years amid growing concern for new Covid variant Omicron.

The committee had noted that the interim safety data of the Phase 2/3 clinical trials was reviewed in a meeting on August 26. After detailed deliberation, the committee had recommended the grant of authorisation of the vaccine for the 12 to 18 years age group for restricted use in emergency situations subject to certain conditions.

Earlier, Zydus Cadila's three-dose DNA vaccine was allowed to be used on adults and children over the age of 12.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Tamil Nadu health department has started preparations to vaccinate youngsters in the age group of 15-18 years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on Saturday. The state will vaccinate people in this age group from January 3 onwards.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian after inspecting vaccination camps, said that the vaccination for those in the age group of 15-18 would commence from January 3.

The Minister said that the jabs would be administered to children in schools and also in special camps to be held by the health department. Referring to the booster dose for medical professionals to start from January 10, the Health Minister said that there are 1.40 crore such persons in the state who will require a booster dose.

The health minister also said that the state health department has vaccinated 8.14 crore people so far. He said that 84.87 per cent of the population has received the first dose of the vaccine and 55.85 per cent are those who have received both the doses. He also said the national average for first dose is 88.59 per cent.

Subramanian also requested people to adhere to Covid-19 standard protocols and said that instead of paying fines it was better for the people to follow all Covid rules.

He also said that 100 people who had come in contact with the 22 Omicron cases in the state have developed symptoms. However, he said that all of them are in isolation and are recovering well.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin inspected the wards set up to treat patients with Omicron variant at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.

Source: IANS

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Shimla, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Himachal Pradesh on Sunday reported the first case of Omicron variant.

The patient, a woman from Khalyar in Himachal's Mandi district, arrived in India from Canada on December 3 and was home isolated for 14 days. She was tested positive for Covid-19 on December 12, an official said.

Woman's swab samples sent for genome sequencing on December 18 showed the presence of Omicron variant, National Health Mission Director Hemraj Bairwa said here.

"However, her tests taken on December 24 came back negative," he added.

Source: IANS

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Bhopal, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Eight foreign travellers in Indore, Madhya Pradesh have been confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, in the past one-and-a-half month. Of these six persons have recovered from the infection.

State Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Sunday told the media that in the last one and a half months, nearly 3,000 people have come to Indore from abroad. Of these 1,000 people have undergone Covid tests while 26 were found positive for the infection. Eight persons were found to be suffering from Omicron, of which six have recovered.

Mishra said two persons who are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals do not have any Covid-like symptoms. People who came in contact with these people are being tested.

Efforts are on to deal with the third wave of Covid-19 in the state along with Omicron cases for which preparations are being made in hospitals. Necessary steps are being taken by the state government along with spreading awareness among people in the state.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) The samples of a Covid-19 positive couple, who had returned to Tamil Nadu's Chidambaram from South Africa, and one of their children, have been sent for genome sequencing to check for Omicron.

The family had arrived from South Africa on December 15. As their test came out negative, they were under home quarantine.

The Covid-19 protocol mandates international passengers from "at risk" countries to undergo a test after eight days of home quarantine and the samples of the couple, and one of their children, were taken for testing on December 23 and this time, they tested positive.

They are admitted at Rajah Muthiah Medical College and Hospital and their samples sent for genome sequencing at the public health laboratory, Chennai.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) The scientist who warned the world about the Omicron Covid-19 variant has told China its 'Zero Covid' police won't work against the super-transmissible mutant strain, the Daily Mail reported.

The Chinese city of Xian's 13 million residents were ordered on Thursday into a draconian stay-at-home lockdown because of 250 cases.

It means all households may only send one household member outside once every two days to shop for necessities.

But Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) in South Africa, said the measures won't work.

He wrote on Twitter: "China will have great difficulty with Omicron and zero covid policy.

"They may need to join the rest of the world with mitigation strategies. China should not punish its public health officials or citizens or foreigners because a more transmissible variant."

It is not known what variant the Chinese outbreak is but Omicron is thought to be the most likely, the report said.

It comes after dozens of Communist officials in China have been punished for failing to stop the Covid-19 outbreak in Xian.

China's disciplinary body announced the punishments of the officials on Friday, the latest state reprimands under Beijing's strict zero Covid approach.

China, where the Covid-19 was first detected in late 2019, is on high alert for new cases as it prepares to hold the Winter Olympics in February in the capital Beijing, and as the more infectious variant Omicron spreads rapidly around the globe.

The world's most populous nation claims to have reduced cases to a minimum thanks to its zero Covid strategy of tight border restrictions, lengthy quarantines and rapidly implemented, targeted lockdowns, the report added.

Source: IANS

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Hong Kong, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Contradicting the vaccine maker's pronouncement, a new study has found that a third dose of Sinovac's Covid-19 vaccine does not provide sufficient protection against the Omicron variant.

According to Nikkei Asia, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong conducted the study, finding that a third shot of what is one of the world's most widely used Covid-19 vaccines does not produce enough levels of virus-neutralising antibodies.

The third dose of a vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, however, significantly improved protection for those who had previously taken two doses of Sinovac, also known as CoronaVac, the study indicated.

A Pfizer booster will "achieve optimal protection against (the) Omicron variant," Malik Peiris, the HKU professor who led the research was quoted as saying.

Sinovac last week said its own study had found that a third dose was "effective in improving the serum neutralising against the omicron strain".

It said that 94 per cent of those who had received three Sinovac doses generated enough neutralising antibodies. The company did not elaborate on what kind of antibody levels three shots produced.

Sinovac did not respond to requests for comment.

CoronaVac is one of two Chinese vaccines approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for emergency use.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi authorised booster dose and vaccination of those above 15 years of age, the Congress has questioned the availability of jabs. The party demanded vaccination for all above 3 years of age.

Addressing a press conference, party General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "Is Modi Govt failing India by tepid response to Omicron variant bordering on directionless drift? Is India's Covid-19 vaccine policy marred by failure of leadership, rudderless response and planless preparation?"

Wounds inflicted by the pandemic will not be healed by lip service or coming on the television and the government cannot run away from its responsibilities by changing vaccination policy each day, he said.

The Congress alleged that the government is playing with the lives of the people.

Surjewala asked when will 47.95 crore people, whose second dose is due, be vaccinated?

"As per the government, the population of those over 18 years is 94 crore. But according to the government data till December 25, 36.50 crore people have not received the second dose, while 11.45 crore have not received even one dose," he claimed.

"The government said that the vaccine manufacturing capacity will be 16.80 crore per month but the required dose is 95 crore. How is it possible to vaccinate people in 149 days?" Surjewala asked.

Modi on Saturday announced that people in the age group of 15-18 years will be eligible to get vaccine against novel coronavirus from January 3, 2022.

"The decision to vaccinate children will not only strengthen our fight against COVID, rather it would also reduce the worries of parents whose children are going to schools," the Prime Minister said while announcing the major decision.

Apart from children's vaccine, a precaution dose for healthcare workers will also start from January 10.

The country is currently staring at a possible third wave of COVID-19 amid growing concerns of the spread of new strain -- Omicron.

As the elderly and co-morbid people are more vulnerable to get serious illness from Omicron strain, Modi also announced a precaution dose for them.

"Those with comorbidities and above 60 years of age on the recommendation of their doctors will be eligible for precaution doses from January 10, 2022 onwards," Modi said.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Sunday said that the Centre should ensure the large-scale availability of Covaxin if a mixed match policy is adopted for booster doses for healthcare workers, as majority of the people have taken Covishield as their first and second doses.

"On behalf of the frontline and healthcare workers, we hail the announcement of the Prime Minister for the precautionary booster dose for healthcare and frontline workers. It is the right step as the imminent third wave by the new variant is a matter of concern.

"Omicron is at our doorstep and we need to protect our healthcare and frontline workers in all possible ways", the IMA said in a statement.

On the ongoing RDA strike which has hit all the medical services in the national capital, the IMA said that the issue of expediting PG counseling is the need of the hour to increase manpower ahead of the looming third wave threat.

The infrastructure without manpower is a futile measure, it added.

The association has also welcomed the government's decision to inoculate children between 15-18 years of age.

J.A. Jayalal, National President of the IMA, said: "The IMA also welcomes the much-awaited decision of vaccination for children from January 3. At this moment of reopening of schools, this will be the welcome step to bring additional safety to children. The vaccination process for children must be handled with much more care and constant monitoring and surveillance must be ensured."

Source: IANS

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London, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Amid rising Omicron cases, a team of UK researchers have warned that if you have a sore throat, runny nose and a headache, there is a good chance it will be Covid, a media report says.

According to the BBC, the Zoe Covid study team has been tracking the pandemic using feedback from the general public and estimates half of the people with cold-like symptoms have Covid.

They described an "explosion" of Covid cases over the last week, driven by the new Omicron variant, the report said.

About 144,000 people a day are catching it and then feeling unwell, it added.

For most, Covid is a mild disease, some get no symptoms at all. But it can still cause very serious illness in some people, including those who have not been vaccinated.

If you have cold-like symptoms, take a Covid test, says lead scientist Tim Spector.

"The number of new symptomatic cases has exploded over the last week," he said.

"For most people, an Omicron positive case will feel much more like common cold, starting with a sore throat, runny nose and a headache. You only need to ask a friend who has recently tested positive to find this out," he added.

Source: IANS

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Bengaluru, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) With the Omicron Covid-19 variant gradually making its presence felt, the Karnataka government is taking pre-emptive steps in the form of a 'night curfew' which will come into effect from Tuesday.

The State Health Minister, K. Sudhakar on Sunday said that the 'night curfew' will be in place for 10 days between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The Minister was speaking to the media following a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Section 144 will be imposed during these timings and the government is taking a 'watch and take action' approach as the situation unfolds, Sudhakar added.

The move effectively brings the curtains down on New Year festivities in the state.

The state government has announced a complete ban on outdoor celebrations, large gatherings and DJ parties.

On Thursday, 12 new cases of Omicron variant had been confirmed in the state taking the tally to 31.

With seven new cases confirmed on Saturday, the tally of Omicron cases stands at 38 on Sunday.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will be reopening some of its Covid-19 care centres to prevent the spread of infected cases.

Urban community centres at Injambakkam in Sholingallur zone and Manjambakkam will be converted into Covid-care centres, sources in the civic body informed IANS.

The GCC will be planning 200 beds in these two centres and if necessary the Covid-care centre at Chennai Trade Centre in Nandambakkam that can accommodate 1,000 patients will also be opened.

The Chennai civic body has made preliminary arrangements in their own premises as schools and colleges are opened and patients will not be able to be accommodated in such places.

A senior civic body official told IANS: "In the past 15 days, areas like Mahalingapuram and Nungambakkam have seen rising Covid-19 clusters and therefore Covid-care centres will be reopened."

There were reports that private hospitals were referring all people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in home quarantine.

According to GCC, this has led to entire families testing positive which has prompted it to intervene in the matter and communicate it to the private hospitals.

A GCC official said: "If people above 50 years are placed under home quarantine, the complications will be more and if treated in a hospital, this can be easily overcome and the patient treated properly."

The Chennai civic body has written letters to private hospitals to treat Covid patients in the hospitals during quarantine to prevent Covid from cross-spreading among family members.

Gagan Singh Bedi, GCC Commissioner, in a letter to private hospitals said if the hospitals discharge Covid-19 patients before the end of the quarantine period, they must inform the civic body so that effective home quarantine is implemented.

The GCC has directed private hospitals to report to the civic body on those people being treated for Covid-like symptoms.

Source: IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Four more persons in Odisha have tested positive for the Omicron Covid-19 variant, taking the overall caseload in the state to eight, officials said here on Sunday.

As per latest report, another four foreign returnees have tested Omicron positive following genome sequencing conducted by Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar.

While two of the infected persons returned from Nigeria, the other two had recently travelled to the UAE, said Director, Health Services, Bijay Mohapatra.

All are asymptomatic to mild symptom cases and their health condition is stable, he said, adding: "One of the new Omicron positive cases has already tested negative as we are conducting tests in regular intervals on 8th, 10th and 12th days."

All persons, who are returning from 'at-risk' or any other country, are being kept under isolation and undergoing RT-PCR tests.

Genome sequencing of all persons testing positive for the virus is being done, Mohapatra stated.

Of the four earlier Omicron cases detected in the state, three had returned from Nigeria and the fourth from Qatar.

In the last 24 hours, Odisha recorded 112 new Covid-19 cases and one fatality, taking the active cases to 1,594 and death toll to 8,452.

Source: IANS

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