Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday, 30 November, said that no case of Omicron COVID-19 variant has been detected in the country so far.
Mandaviya made the statement during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.
The COVID-19 situation in the country is under control but measures are being taking to prevent it from spreading further, the minister stated.
Earlier in the morning, the Union Health Secretary chaired a review meeting with the states and union territories on the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant. The states were advised to ramp up testing for early identification of positive cases and its management.
The Union government has also directed that the 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign be extended till 31 December with focus on 100 percent first dose and completing backlog of second dose vaccinations.
The states were also asked to focus on timely testing for early identification and ensuring adequate health infrastructure.
Global Risk 'Very High': WHO
On Monday, the World Health Organization said that the overall global risk related to the new Omicron has been assessed as 'very high.'
Omicron, labelled as 'variant of concern' is a highly divergent variant with a high number of mutations, including 26-32 in the spike, some of which are concerning and may be associated with immune escape potential and higher transmissibility. However, there are still considerable uncertainties, the global health body said.
"Given mutations that may confer immune escape potential and possibly transmissibility advantage, the likelihood of potential further spread of Omicron at the global level is high," it said.
(With inputs from IANS.)
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