Govt warns global Covid scene disturbing, calls for stepping up precautions

With usage of masks going down in the country and Omicron variant on the rise, the government cautioned that the global pandemic scene was disturbing and India could be in a danger zone with Covid precautions and cases at similar levels now as the pre-second surge period.

“We are now operating at a risky level. We have to remember that both vaccines and masks are important. The scientific community, WHO, is warning that time has not come to take off the masks,” V K Paul, member-health, Niti Aayog, told reporters on Friday.

Cases of Omicron variant have risen to 25 in the country across five states. Although all patients are reported to have mild symptoms. Government is keeping a close watch on more than 70 clusters of cases in the country across various districts where more infections have been seen.

Nineteen districts in India are reporting a weekly positivity of 5-10 per cent. Eight of these are in Kerala, five in Mizoram, two in Manipur and one each in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

Health ministry also highlighted that reported Covid-19 cases and deaths have doubled in Europe over the past two months.

“By and large, it is the Delta variant but we need to remain cautious. There is no need to panic. We must learn from global experiences,” Paul added.

Omicron cases in India are so far less than 0.04 per cent of total variants detected. The samples are being cultured to be tested against Covishield and Covaxin vaccines for efficacy. Globally, the variant has been detected in 59 countries with 2,936 confirmed cases and 78,064 probables.

The health ministry said that in India there is no burden on the healthcare systems yet due to the Omicron variant, but a strict vigil has to be maintained.

The Indian Council of Medical Research is also examining if mixing the doses of Covishield and Covaxin would produce better immunity. On the issue of booster doses, while the government has stressed that completing primary vaccination is the most important thing, ICMR’s director general, Balram Bhargava said that the immunity from vaccines lasts for nine months to one year. “The antibody immunity lasts for this period. Cellular and mucosal immunity persists but it is difficult to measure,” Bhargava said.

India has so far administered the first dose of the vaccine to 86.2 per cent of adult population while more than 53 per cent are fully vaccinated according to the health ministry data.

The health ministry also told the Parliament on Friday that instances of fake covid vaccination camps or fake vaccines have been noticed in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. States have been asked to increase vigilance within the supply chains and carefully authenticate the product and its physical condition before its use so as to guard against such unscrupulous activities.

While the daily cases have been below 10,000 for 14 consecutive days more than half of the total cases in the last week have been reported from Kerala.

Screening Status of International Arrivals since 1st December 2021

Particulars	At-risk countries	Other countries
Total international flights	298	2,348
No. of passengers	58,469	3,68,516
Covid-19 Positive	83	13

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

Digital Editor