The states were also asked to focus on timely testing for early identification and ensuring adequate health infrastructure.
[File Photo]
No case of Omicron variant has been detected in the country so far, Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday told the Rajya Sabha that there is no case of Omicron variant detected in the country so far,
He was responding to a question during the Question Hour.
The Covid situation in the country, he said, is under control but measures are being taken to prevent it from spreading further. A total of 124 crore vaccination doses have been administered to the eligible population to date.
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Earlier in the morning, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, in a meet, told the states and UTs to ramp up testing for early identification of Omicron positive cases and its management.
Also, the Centre has directed to extend the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign till December 31 with a 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.
On Monday, the World Health Organisation 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.
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