India's Omicron count reaches 220, more states report 1st cases

Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha on Tuesday recorded their first cases of the Omicron variant of COVID as the count of the new strain in 14 states and union territories crossed 200 even as the Centre said there is a need to 'activate' war rooms, take 'pro-active' action and consider night curfews.

According to the latest data from the Centre and the states on Tuesday night, India recorded 220 cases of the Omicron variant, 19 days after the first two cases in the country were detected in Karnataka on December 2.

While health authorities in J and K said three persons in the union territory tested positive for the Omicron variant in Jammu, the tally in Maharashtra and Telengana rose to 65 and 24 respectively with the addition of 11 and four cases of the potentially contagious strain.

Officials in Jammu said the three affected people have no foreign travel history and their condition is 'stable'.

'Three Omicron cases confirmed by NCDC, Delhi from a cluster in Jammu. Sample taken on 30th November. RTPCR testing of the entire locality ordered,' the Health and Medical Education department J&K wrote on its official twitter handle.

At least two people in Odisha tested positive for the Omicron variant, the first cases of the latest version of coronavirus in the state, state officials said.

Bhubaneswar-based Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) detected the variant in the two patients after conducting the genome sequencing of 12 samples.

Both of them have travel history to foreign nations -- Nigeria and Qatar, the officials said.

In a letter to the states and union territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised implementing strategic interventions for containment like imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings, curtailing numbers in marriages and funerals besides increasing testing and surveillance.

Keeping in view the COVID-19 situation and the rising number of cases of the Omicron variant, the Karnataka government said no parties or mass gatherings would be permitted in the state from December 30 to January 2.

"We had a meeting with experts through video conference regarding the new year celebrations, keeping in mind the COVID-19 and Omicron related cases," Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters in Bengaluru.

On their recommendation, the government decided to prohibit mass gatherings in the city and other public places in the state.

"We are banning mass gatherings at open places. This is across the state from December 30 to January 2," Bommai said.

Two hundred cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected across 12 states and UTs in India so far out of which 77 patients have recovered or migrated, the Union health ministry said earlier in the day.

The total did not include the cases from Odisha and J-K.

Besides Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha and J-K, the breakup in other states and UTs are Delhi-54, Karnataka-19, Rajasthan-18, Kerala-15, Gujarat-14, Uttar Pradesh-2, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Chandigarh- one each.

Asserting that the Omicron variant is at least thrice more transmissible than Delta, the Centre also asked states and union territories to keep taking strict and prompt containment action at district and local levels.

In his letter to the states and union territories, Secretary Bhushan flagged measures that need to be taken in view of initial signs of surge in cases of COVID-19 as well as increased detection of the variant of concern Omicron in different parts of the country.

'At the district level there should be constant review of emerging data regarding the population affected by COVID-19, geographical spread, hospital infrastructure and its utilization, manpower, notifying containment zones, enforcement of perimeter of containment zones etc. This evidence should be the basis for effective decision making at the district level itself.

'Such a strategy ensures that infection is contained at the local level itself before it spreads to other parts of the state,' Bhushan said in the letter.

'Kindly activate the war rooms/EOCs (emergency operation centres) and keep analyzing all trends and surges, no matter how small and keep taking proactive action at the district/local level. Regular reviews with field officers and proactive action in this regard will definitely control the spread of infection and flatten the curve.'

In case of all new clusters of COVID positive cases, prompt notification of 'containment zones', 'buffer zones' should be done, strict perimeter control of containment zone according to extant guidelines must be ensured.

All cluster samples must be sent to INSACOG Labs for Genome Sequencing without delay, Bhushan underlined.

The letter highlighted that test positivity of 10 per cent or more in the last one week or bed occupancy of 40 per cent or more on oxygen supported or ICU beds should be main elements of the framework to be used by states and union territories to facilitate decision making at the district level.

'Based on current scientific evidence, the VOC (variant of concern) Omicron is at least 3 times more transmissible than the Delta VOC. Besides, the Delta VOC is still present in different parts of the country.

'Hence, even greater foresight, data analysis, dynamic decision making and strict and prompt containment action is required at the local and district level. The decision making at the state and UT and district level must be very prompt and focussed,' he said.

Listing some of the strategic areas of intervention focusing on containment, test, track, surveillance, clinical management to be taken, Bhushan asked states and union territories to ensure door to door case search, testing of all SARI/ILI and vulnerable/co-morbid people and right proportion of RT PCR tests in total tests being conducted daily.

Contact tracing of all COVID positive persons and utilizing the access to 'AIR SUVIDHA Portal by State Surveillance Officers (SSOS) and District Surveillance Officers (DSOS) to monitor the international passengers who have arrived in their states and districts was also stressed'.

States and union territories have been asked to increase bed capacity, other logistics like ambulances, mechanism for seamless shifting of patients, availability and operational readiness of oxygen equipment, buffer stock of drugs to be ensured by prompt utilisation of Emergency COVID Response Package (ECRP-II) funds released by central government and other available resources etc.