India's Omicron COVID count crossed the 100 mark on Friday after recording the highest single day rise of 24 fresh cases of the new variant, even as the Centre advised people to avoid non-essential travel and mass gatherings and keep New Year celebrations at low intensity.
As the Omicron tally from 11 states and union territories stood at 111 exactly 15 days after the first case of the potentially more contagious COVID variant was detected in Karnataka, 20 new cases were reported from Maharashtra(8) and Delhi(12) to take their total to 40 and 22 respectively.
Telangana and Kerala recorded two more cases each to take their tally to eight and seven respectively.
The Centre also warned it is likely that the spread of the new variant will outpace the Delta variant where there is community transmission.
Addressing a joint news conference in Delhi, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal said though daily COVID-19 cases are below 10,000 for the past 20 days, there is a need to stay vigilant in view of the new Omicron variant and rising cases in other countries.
According to Central and state officials, Maharashtra has reported 40 cases, Delhi (22), Rajasthan (17), Karnataka (8), Telangana (8), Gujarat (5), Kerala (7), Andhra Pradesh (1), Chandigarh (1), Tamil Nadu (1) and West Bengal (1).
While the country's first two cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Karnataka on December 2, this heavily mutated version of the coronavirus was first reported in South Africa on November 24.
"As Omicron variant is spreading very fast across Europe and most parts of the world so need to avoid nonessential travel, avoid mass gatherings and it is time to observe low intensity festivities and ushering in new year celebrations has to be at low intensity," said Indian Council of Medical Research Director General Dr Balram Bhargava.
Those districts which have more than 5 per cent positivity rate need to ensure restrictive measures until the test positivity rate comes below 5 per cent for at least 2 weeks, he stressed.
Citing the World Health Organisation (WHO), Agarwal said the Omicron variant is spreading faster than the Delta variant of the coronavirus in South Africa, where Delta circulation was low.
It is likely that Omicron spread will outpace Delta variant where community transmission occurs, he said quoting the WHO.
Quoting the WHO DG, Agarwal said, "Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant. We are concerned that people are dismissing Omicron as mild."
In response to a question on whether we are in community transmission of Omicron, Agarwal said, "We cannot at this point say that Omicron variant is widespread in India."
He said most cases of Omicron have a travel history, or have contacts with travel histories.
On a limited basis, there are one or two cases in which we have not been able to establish any such history but the process is still on to identify if there has been any travel or contact histories, he added.
Agarwal said the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems.
"Vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis. Masks, physical distancing, ventilation and hand hygiene should be followed along with vaccines. In most countries, those being hospitalised and dying are those who have not been vaccinated. So, the priority must be to vaccinate the unvaccinated, even in countries with the most access to vaccines."
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said 10 of the 22 COVID patients infected by the Omicron variant have been discharged.
The minister had on Thursday said many international travellers are turning out COVID positive upon arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Health experts and Doctors in the national capital warned that people should avoid all kinds of gatherings as Omicron is a highly transmissible variant, and follow COVID-appropriate behaviour, else the situation may worsen.
They also rued that a 'sense of complacency' has again crept in large sections of citizens, despite seeing the 'horrors of the second wave' early this year.
'Omicron is highly transmissible. First thing people need to do is avoid all gatherings of any form, and follow all COVID-appropriate behaviour, like wearing masks, following social distancing, use of hand sanitiser, and not become lax at all,' said a senior doctor at the Lok Nayak hospital, the nerve-centre of Delhi's fight against the pandemic since 2020.
Doctors at other government and private hospitals, concurred that similar complacency level among a larger section of citizens was seen just before the brutal second wave hit Delhi.
In Tamil Nadu, as many as 28 people who arrived from both 'high-risk' and 'non-risk' countries till date have tested COVID positive along with S-gene drop, raising the suspicion of they being infected with Omicron, a state minister said.
Medical and Family Welfare minister Ma Subramanian told reporters in Chennai that the samples of the 28 passengers have been sent for genomic sequencing analysis.
At the joint press conference in Delhi, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic is being experienced in Europe with a steep rise in cases despite 80 per cent partial vaccination being done and delta wave being experienced.
"Situation overall is stable but in some districts the positivity rate is increasing and if needed restrictive measures should be implemented. There should be proper contact tracing and clusters should be monitored carefully and containment measures should be implemented. Clusters should be investigated to see if the new variant is driving the rise in cases there," he added.
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