India Records 4 Omicron Cases With Unvaccinated Maharashtra Man Found Infected
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A Maharashtra man who returned from South Africa to Mumbai has been found to be infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, news agency PTI reported on Saturday, 4 December, quoting the official sources. This is the fourth confirmed case to be detected in the country so far.
Meanwhile, amid concerns about the new Omicron variant of coronavirus, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday, 4 December, asked the CEO, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) to send a single line list of international travellers arriving in Mumbai in the preceding 24 hours to the disaster management unit.
The list will then be forwarded to Ward War Rooms who will telephonically call the passengers five times a day during their home quarantine.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday warned that countries in the Asia-Pacific region need to strengthen healthcare services and focus on vaccinating their people, as the Omicron variant spreads globally and enters new regions.
'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 B.1.1.529 strain of COVID-19, or Omicron, was first reported by South Africa on 24 November 2021
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15 Cases of Omicron Variant in Canada
On Friday, 3 December, public health officials in Canada said that 15 cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 had been confirmed and that severe illness in the country could be on a rise again, Reuters reported.
A Week to Get at Least One Dose of COVID Vaccine: Madurai District Collector
A week's time has been given to people to get at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, said Madurai District Collector Aneesh Sekhar, adding that they will not be allowed to enter public places such as hotels, shopping malls, among others if they fail to comply, ANI reported.
Ward War Rooms Will Call International Passengers 5 Times a Day During Home Quarantine
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has asked the CEO, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) to send a single line list of international travellers arriving in Mumbai in the preceding 24 hours to disaster management unit, that will then forward the same ward-wise to Ward War Rooms and medical officer of health.
"The Ward War Room teams will telephonically call all the passengers throughout their home quarantine five times a day, to monitor their health status. Medical teams and ambulances shall be provided regularly," BMC noted.
8,603 New COVID Cases in India
As per the Health Ministry, India reported 8,603 new COVID cases on Saturday, 4 December, with 415 deaths and 8,190 recoveries in the last 24 hours.
The country has as many as 99,974 active cases.
Second-Highest COVID Infection Among Children Under 5, Says South Africa
South African experts have expressed concern about the rising number of COVID-19 infections among young children.
"We have always seen children not being heavily affected by the COVID epidemic in the past (and) not having many admissions (to hospitals). In the third wave, we saw more admissions in children under five and in teenagers who were 15 to 19.
"Now, at the start of this fourth wave, we see quite a sharp increase across all age groups, but particularly in the under-fives," said Dr Waasila Jassat of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) at a media briefing by the Health Ministry on Friday, reported PTI.
In Madurai, Unvaccinated Citizens Barred From 18 Public Places
With a low percent of fully-vaccinated people in the district, the Madurai district administration has imposed restrictions on unvaccinated people venturing in public spaces on Friday, 3 December, The News Minute reported.
Madurai Collector S Aneesh imposed this restriction following the inspection conducted by Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Thursday.
In a meeting with officials, the Madurai Collector said that those who are unvaccinated will not be allowed to venture into public spaces such as ration shops, business enterprises, supermarkets, movie theatres, malls, textile shops, banks, weddings halls among others.
Omicron Variant Reaches 40 Countries
So far it has been detected in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe, as well as in travellers to Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Réunion, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.
Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Portugal and Spain have also reported small numbers of cases in people who did not travel internationally.
Gujarat Man Found Infected With Omicron Variant
A Gujarat man who returned from Zimbabwe to Jamnagar has been found to be infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, news agency PTI reported on Saturday, 4 December, quoting the Gujarat health department.
Maharashtra Man Tests Positive for Omicron Variant
A 33-year old man hailing from Maharashtra who returned to Mumbai from South Africa via Dubai and Delhi has tested positive for Omicron variant of coronavirus.
This is the fourth Omicron case to be detected in India and first to be detected in Maharashtra.
"He hasn't taken any vaccine. Twelve of his high-risk contacts and 23 of the low-risk contacts have been traced and all have been tested negative for Covid-19. Additionally, 25 of the co-passengers from the Delhi-Mumbai flight have also been tested negative. More contacts are currently being traced," Maharashtra Health Department said.