Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Tuesday informed the Rajya Sabha that no cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected in India. Mandaviya assured that the government has learned a lot during the pandemic and is capable of managing any situation. The centre has asked states to ramp up Covid-19 testing as the world battles the new coronavirus variant Omicron. From today the Indian government has implemented strict rules for passengers arriving from foreign countries. The head of drugmaker Moderna said COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Indian vaccine company Bharat Biotech is studying if the Covaxin shot will work on Omicron. Serum’s institute’s CEO Adar Poonawalla said they are testing whether the Covishield vaccine will work on Omicron but they will know the answer in 2 weeks. Once more information is there then can work on vaccines. 

Schools in Mumbai and Pune, which were set to reopen from December 1, will continue to remain shut till December 15. West Bengal has announced that existing covid restrictions and relaxations in the state will continue till December 15. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson has said that the 2022 Winter Olympics is expected to go ahead "smoothly and successfully" despite the emergence of the Omicron covid variant.

Tags

• Coronavirus
• Omicron
• COVID19
• Mansukh
• Mandaviya

Advertisement