Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 23: Even as India on Sunday reported 3.33 lakhs new Covid cases, marginally lower than Saturday’s tally, the experts have expressed the apprehension that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was in the community transmission stage in the country and has become dominant in several metros where new cases have been spiking exponentially.
Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said in its latest bulletin on Sunday said BA.2 lineage, an infectious sub-variant of Omicron, has been detected in a considerable fraction in India. INSACOG, jointly initiated by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) among others is a consortium of 38 laboratories to monitor the genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2.
INSACOG checks variations in coronavirus across the nation to help understand how it spreads and evolves, and to suggest the best possible public health response. While most Omicron cases so far have been asymptomatic or mild, hospitalisations and ICU cases have increased in the current wave and the threat level remains unchanged, INSACOG said in its latest bulletin that was released on Sunday.
“Omicron is now in community transmission in India and has become dominant in multiple metros, where new cases have been rising exponentially. BA.2 lineage is in a substantial fraction in India and S gene dropout based screening is thus likely to give high false negatives,” it said.
“The recently reported B.1.640.2 lineage is being monitored. There is no evidence of rapid spread and while it has features of immune escape, it is currently not a variant of concern. So far, no case has been detected in India,” the INSACOG said. It further said that BA.2 lineage was a substantial fraction in India and S-gene dropout based screening was thus likely to give high false negatives. Tests suitable for PCR based screening applicable to all Omicron lineages had been approved for use. S-gene drop-out was a genetic variation like that of Omicron.
India’s daily Covid curve showed marginal improvement today as the country reported 3.33 lakh cases, which is marginally lower than yesterday. With a tally of 3.92 crore cases, India is the second worst-hit country after the US.
“Further spread of Omicron in India is now expected to be through internal transmission, not foreign travellers, and a revised sampling and sequencing strategy of INSACOG is being worked out to address genomic surveillance objectives in the wake of dynamic changing scenario of virus infection,” the INSACOG said.
“COVID appropriate behaviour and vaccination are main shields against all form mutations of SARSCoV-2 virus,” it said. A total of 1,50,710 samples have been sequenced and 1, 27,697 samples have been analysed so far by INSACOG.
Meanwhile, India’s cumulative Covid vaccination coverage exceeded 162 crore as on Sunday, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. India reported 3,33,533 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the active caseload to 21,87,205. While the daily positivity rate and weekly positivity rate stand at 17.78 percent and 16.87 percent respectively, the recovery rate stands at 93.18 percent. The number of daily cases is lower than Saturday’s 3.37 lakh cases. However, the daily and weekly positivity rates have risen.
Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu has tested positive for Covid-19. Naidu, who was in Hyderabad, tweeted on Sunday morning to give information about his having tested positive and said he would spend a week in isolation. He also advised people in contact with him in the last few days to immediately seek medical advice.
Meanwhile, thousands of people gathered in European capitals to protest vaccine passports and other requirements governments have imposed in hopes of ending the coronavirus pandemic. Demonstrations took place in Athens, Helsinki, London, Paris and Stockholm.
Marches in Paris drew hundreds of demonstrators protesting the introduction from Monday of a new Covid-19 pass. It will severely restrict the lives of those who refuse to get vaccinated by banning them from domestic flights, sports events, bars, cinemas and other leisure venues. French media reported that demonstrators also marched by the hundreds in other cities.
New Zealanders are set to face new Covid-19 restrictions after nine cases of the omicron variant were detected in a single family that flew to Auckland for a wedding earlier this month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Sunday. The so-called “red setting” of the country’s pandemic response includes heightened measures such as required mask wearing and limits on gatherings, and the restrictions will go into effect on Monday.
Ardern stressed that “red is not lockdown,” noting that businesses can remain open and people can still visit family and friends and move freely around the country. ‘Our plan for managing omicron cases in the early stage remains the same as delta, where we will rapidly test, contact trace and isolate cases and contacts in order to slow the spread,” Ardern told reporters in Wellington on Sunday.