India detects its first two Omicron cases in K’taka

BOTH THE COVID PATIENTS ARE MEN AGED 66 YEARS AND 46 YEARS, AND EXHIBIT MILD SYMPTOMS

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday detected its first two cases of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus in Karnataka, the Union government said on Thursday, while asking people not to panic but follow Covidappropriate behaviour and get vaccinated without delay.

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.

He said following the detection of the two Omicron cases through the INSACOG network, all their primary and secondary contacts were traced in time and were being tested.

“We need not panic about Omicron detection but awareness is absolutely essential. Follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and avoid gatherings,” the official said, adding that increased Covid-19 vaccine uptake was the need of the hour.

“Do not delay in getting fully vaccinated,” the official said.

The government further stated that 373 cases of Omicron variant, classified as a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organisation, have been detected in 29 nations so far and India was monitoring the situation. A “variant of concern” is the WHO’s top category of worrying Covid-19 variants.

“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 WHO.

The press conference was informed that the South East Asian region, including India, has only 3.1 per cent of the world’s Covid-19 cases in the last one week.

About vaccine coverage, the official said that 84.3 per cent of the adult population in India got the first dose while 49 per cent got the second dose.

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

Meanwhile, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday held a meeting with airport and port health officers as well as other author

ities over screening and surveillance at all points of entries amid concerns over the new coronavirus variant, official sources said.

The health ministry has been advising states and Union territories to keep a strict vigil and undertake surveillance of international passengers coming to the country through various airports.

Testing of samples of international travellers coming from ‘at risk’ countries on the first day and of specified category of passengers on the eighth day needs to be scrupulously done, it had stressed.

International passengers from at-risk countries are being advised to wait at airports till the report of the RT-PCR test is available.

States/UTs have been asked to send all positive samples for genome sequencing to INSACOG labs promptly and that the states should undertake contact tracing of positive individuals and follow up for 14 days.

The new potentially more contagious B.1.1.529 variant was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on November 24.

The health ministry on Tuesday revised the guidelines for international arrivals which mandate that 2 per cent of the total flight passengers coming from countries which are not in the ‘at risk category’ will also be tested on random basis at the airports for Covid-19.

Apart from that, travellers from countries, excluding those countries at risk, will be allowed to leave the airport and shall self-monitor their health for 14 days post arrival.

Passengers originating or transiting from at-risk countries will have to undergo RT-PCR testing post arrival and will be required to wait for the results at the arrival airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight, according to the revised guidelines which came in effect from December 1.

List of countries from where travellers would need to follow additional measures on arrival in India, including post-arrival testing are those in Europe, including the United Kingdom, besides South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.

Besides, the airlines will allow boarding by only those passengers who have filled in

their self declaration forms on the Air Suvidha portal and uploaded the negative RT-PCR test report.

This test should have been conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey.

International travellers arriving through seaports/land ports will also have to undergo the same protocol as above, except that facility for online registration is not available for such passengers currently, the guidelines said.

SHAH

“Now, Akhilesh Babu you can see that a temple that will touch the skies is being built there,” the BJP leader said.

The home minister also said the BJP has worked to enhance the honour of the country in the world under Modi’s leadership and ensured the nation’s security.

Shah stated the new university in Saharanpur will help in providing good education to youths of the districts nearby and they would no longer have to go outside to pursue their studies.

He accused previous governments of hatching a conspiracy to sell sugar mills and said a CBI inquiry is underway to probe these deals.

“No sugar mill was sold under the Yogi government,” he added and called upon the people to ensure the BJP’s victory in over 300 seats in the forthcoming assembly elections in the state.

Besides, Shah said 90% of the sugarcane dues had been paid and the remaining 10% payment would also be made soon.

Reacting to Shah’s remarks, Samajwadi Party state spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said: “From top to bottom, the BJP leadership lies. Under the BJP rule, the state for four and a half years had been hogging headline nationally for crimes. Crime in all categories has risen.”

“Hathras, Pratapgarh, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, almost all districts reported major crimes. In custody deaths or crime against Dalits, the government got a rap from SC and the human rights commission. Even farmers were mowed down by BJP people. The government and its lies are exposed and people will throw this government out and bring in an SP government,” he said.

LEOPARD

was stable, she said.

The official further said, as the leopard was confined to the first floor, the team called for a bucket truck that is often used for repairing street lights to facilitate the team.

They spotted the big cat hiding behind a chair inside an empty classroom. Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor Dr Rahul Prasad tranquilized the leopard through a window.

Dr Prasad said, “Such rescue operations are highly sensitive and need careful planning in order to ensure the safety of the animal as well as of the people. The leopard kept running between classrooms which made the task challenging.”

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO Wildlife SOS, said, “We are very grateful to the forest department for making this rescue a success. Such incidents are a direct result of loss of forest cover and encroachment leading to depletion of natural prey base and habitat, which in turn forces wild animals to venture into human settlements in search of food and shelter. This often leads to human-animal conflicts.”