Omicron variant is now identified in 110 countries
New Delhi/Geneva/Allahabad: Night curfew has returned in many Indian states as the Omicron variant of the Covid pandemic has caused serious concern.
In wake of the increasing instances of the Covid variant Omicron, the Allahabad High Court today sought the Election Commission’s (EC’s) intervention to delay the polling schedule for the state by at least a month. The state was slated to be in the poll mode from January 2022 to March 2022. The expiry of the current assembly’s term is on May 14, 2022.
The EC on its part has sought data from the state government on the number of fully vaccinated people as well as number of Covid cases in its jurisdiction. The state was till recent times witness to mass gatherings on count of several development projects that got inaugurated.
The Court also cited a high number of people getting infected with the Covid variant after mass attendance was reported in election rallies. It sought urgent remedial steps to be put in place to block the spread of the deadly second wave.
In Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO) today stated that early data from South Africa, the United Kingdom and Denmark suggest a reduced risk of hospitalization for Omicron compared to Delta.
However, WHO warned that the risk of hospitalization is only one aspect of severity, which may be altered by admission practices. More data across different countries are needed to understand how clinical markers of severity – such as the use of oxygen, mechanical ventilation and deaths – are associated with Omicron. At the present time, it is still unclear to what extent the observed reduction in risk of hospitalization can be attributed to immunity from previous infections or vaccination and to what extent Omicron may be less virulent.
In New Delhi, the Center today asked states to take precautionary measures ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations. The directives also called for a vigilant stand on positive head counts to the Omicron variant as well as occurrence of new instances.
The northern state of Madhya Pradesh though not having reported any Omicron case has taken the precaution of imposing a 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. Whereas the Delhi district authorities have banned Christmas and New Year gatherings in the Union Territory. Revelry at restaurants and bars too face restrictions as they will be permitted to operate with only 50% capacity.
Cities across the state of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat are slated to observe night curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. The northern state of Uttar Pradesh too has similar night curfew restrictions in place. In southern Karnataka, New Year celebrations that are known to attract huge crowds have come under the axe with the state government announcing restrictions to be in place ahead of such gatherings.
In the northern state of Haryana there is a ban on unvaccinated people from being present at public places besides the night curfew stipulations. Meanwhile, in the country’s financial hub, Mumbai, the civic body has announced a 7-day compulsory quarantine for international passengers who arrive from Dubai. In addition, the civic body has also announced separate transport arrangements for passengers staying in other parts of Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, WHO informed that as of December 22, 2021, the Omicron variant had been identified in 110 countries across all six WHO Regions. “Current understanding of the Omicron variant continues to evolve as more data become available,” it stated.
Preliminary data from several non-peer reviewed studies suggest that there is a reduction in neutralizing titers against Omicron in individuals who have received a primary vaccination series or in those who have had prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, the increased risk of reinfection reported in England, the United Kingdom , as well as a growing trend of reinfection cases in Denmark and Israel, can be potentially attributed to immune evasion against Omicron.
There is consistent evidence that Omicron has a substantial growth advantage over Delta. It is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant in countries with documented community transmission, with a doubling time of 2-3 days. It remains uncertain to what extent the observed rapid growth rate since November 2021 can be attributed to immune evasion or intrinsic increased transmissibility, but is likely a combination of both.
– global bihari bureau
