COVID: Negative Test 1 Day Before US Travel Likely; 1st Omicron Case in France
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The United States (US)' health authorities identified their first case of infection caused by the Omicron variant on Wednesday, 1 December.
United States President Joe Biden, on Thursday, 2 December, is likely to announce that starting next week, "all international travellers will be required to test negative within one day of their departure to the United States," a senior administration official was quoted as saying by AFP.
Meanwhile, France, on Thursday, 2 December, confirmed the first case of variant in a man in his 50s who had recently returned from Nigeria.
The US health authorities had identified their first case of infection caused by the Omicron variant in a fully vaccinated South Africa returnee who had arrived in California on Wednesday, 1 December.
The same day, Nigeria and Brazil also confirmed their first cases of the variant.
No COVID-19 case of Omicron variant has been reported in India so far, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had said in Rajya Sabha during Question Hour on Tuesday, 30 November.
'Omicron,' which has been declared as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), has raised alarm bells across the globe
According to the World Health Organization, it is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible or severe compared to Delta
The Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a "very high" global risk where COVID-19 surges could have "severe consequences," WHO had said on Monday, 29 November
The B.1.1.529 strain of COVID-19, or Omicron, was first reported by South Africa on 24 November 2021
In Netherlands, the variant reportedly emerged a week prior to its detection in SA
In India, travellers from 'at-risk' countries will have to go undergo a mandatory seven-day home quarantine, even if they test negative for the virus
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International Flights To Not Resume From 15 December: Government
In view of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the Union government announced that international flights, which were previously scheduled to operate from 15 December, will not resume.
“An appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in an order Wednesday, The Indian Express reported.
WHO Warns Against Low Vaccination, Testing
The World Health Organization on Wednesday warned that a "toxic mix" of low vaccination coverage and low testing rates was creating fertile breeding ground for new COVID-19 variants.
The WHO said measures to stop the globally-dominant Delta variant would also hinder 'Omicron', first discovered in November in southern Africa and which has since rattled countries around the world.
Omicron Accounts for 74% of Virus Genomes Detected in November
The omicron variant has been detected in five of South Africa’s nine provinces and accounted for 74 percent of the virus genomes sequenced in November, the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases announced Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Four Travellers From At-Risk Nations Test COVID Positive at Delhi Airport, Variant Not Known
Four more travellers from “at-risk” countries have tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, officials said on Thursday, according to PTI.
However, the variant infecting them is not known.
Woman From UK Tests COVID Positive in Hyderabad, Samples Sent for Genome Sequencing
A female traveller from UK who came to Hyderabad has tested positive for COVID-19. Her samples are being sent for genome sequencing and she is currently isolated in TIMS, Telangana Director of Public Health, GS Rao said on Thursday.
Four More From South Africa Test COVID Positive in Mumbai, Samples Sent for Genome Sequencing
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Thursday said that four passengers coming from South Africa to Mumbai have tested COVID positive. Their samples have been sent for genome sequencing, she added.
Negative COVID Test Required Within 1 Day of Travel to US From Next Week: Report
United States President Joe Biden, on Thursday, 2 December, is likely to announce that starting next week, "all international travellers will be required to test negative within one day of their departure to the United States," a senior administration official was quoted as saying by AFP.
First Case Of Omicron Variant Confirmed In France
France has confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in a man in his 50s who had recently returned from Nigeria.