Coronavirus highlights: NTAGI discusses administering 'additional' vaccine dose, inoculation of kids

India could see a mild third wave which will peak in the early part of next year, according to experts who have been modelling the pandemic. Maharashtra reported 2 Omicron variant cases on Monday. Stay tuned on DH for latest updates.

NTAGI discusses administering 'additional' vaccine dose, inoculation of kids

The issues of administering 'additional' dose of Covid vaccine to immunocompromised individuals and inoculation of children were deliberated upon in a meeting of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) on Monday, official sources said.

However, no consensus was learnt to have been reached by the members and no final recommendation has been made on these issue as of now, the source said. - PTI.

EU agency clears arthritis drug for severe Covid cases

The European Union's drug regulator on Monday cleared the arthritis treatment tocilizumab for use in patients hospitalised with severe Covid-19, saying it reduced the risk of death.

The anti-inflammatory drug made by Swiss pharma giant Roche should be used with steroids for critically ill patients, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said.

The World Health Organization and the United States have already endorsed the treatment, sold by Roche as RoActemra in Europe. - AFP.

108 new Covid cases in J&K, two deaths

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 108 fresh coronavirus cases on Monday, pushing the infection count to 3,37,915, while two fatalities in the past 24 hours raised the death toll to 4,483, officials said.

Twenty-two of the new cases were from the Jammu division and 86 from the Kashmir division of the Union Territory, the officials said.

They said Srinagar district recorded a maximum of 40 fresh Covid-19 cases followed by Baramulla and Jammu districts, both of which registered 11 new infections. - PTI.

First Omicron case in Argentina

Argentina has registered its first case of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, in a traveler from South Africa, the health ministry announced.

The infected person, 38 and fully vaccinated, had travelled to the African country for work, and returned to Argentina on November 30, the ministry said in a statement late Sunday.

The traveler had tested negative for the virus before departure and on arrival in Argentina, but had another test because they had been in contact with people in South Africa since diagnosed with Covid-19. - AFP.

Maharashtra reports 2 more Omicron variant cases

We've updated testing capacity at int'l arrival with the deployment of 120 Rapid PCR machines, taking hourly capacity to 500-600/hr with TAT of less than 60 mins. There's a provision for approx 500 RTPCR tests per/hr. This'll further smoothen int'l arrival process: Delhi Airport - ANI.

Namibia detects Omicron coronavirus variant in 18 of 19 samples

Namibia has detected the Omicron coronavirus variant in 18 of 19 samples sequenced between Nov. 11-26, its health ministry said on Monday.

Although the southern African country has sequenced relatively few samples, the finding suggests the variant first flagged by neighbouring South Africa and Botswana late last month, and since labelled "of concern" by the World Health Organization, is also highly prevalent in Namibia. - Reuters.

85% of the eligible population of India inoculated with the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

Croatia confirms its first two cases of Covid-19 Omicron variant

Croatia confirmed on Monday its first two cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the state health institute said.

"We are not sure about the source of the infection as neither of those two people had travelled abroad. We believe they got infected at a business meeting at which both participated," said Bernard Kaic, an epidemiologist at the state health institute.

Guests from abroad had been present at the business meeting, he added. - Reuters.

DRDO installed 931 Oxygen PSA plants during Covid-19 pandemic: Govt

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has installed 931 oxygen pressure swing absorption (PSA) plants across the country during the Covid-19 pandemic, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said on Monday.

In his written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, he said, "A total of 931 PSA plants have been installed by DRDO under PM Cares Fund at 869 sites during Covid-19 pandemic."

Out of the 931 plants, 103 have been established in Uttar Pradesh, 62 in Tamil Nadu, 56 in Madhya Pradesh, 49 in West Bengal and 48 in Rajasthan, the minister said. - PTI.

Omicron spreads in India, full vaccination in focus

Cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have risen to 21 in India over the weekend and people must step up for vaccination, officials said on Monday.

Rajasthan reported the most number of Omicron cases with nine, followed by eight in Maharashtra, two in Karnataka and one each in Gujarat and the capital New Delhi.

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South Africa urges vaccines 'without delay' as cases surge

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday urged citizens to get vaccinated as the country battles an unprecedented surge in cases driven by the new Omicron variant.

The number of daily infections rose five-fold in the space of a week, from 2,828 on November 26 to 16,055 last Friday.

About a quarter of tests for coronavirus have been positive, compared to just around two per cent of those tested a fortnight ago. - AFP.

Vaccine developer warns of 'more lethal' pandemic

The lead developer of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine warned the next pandemic could be "more lethal", urging better preparedness in a speech set to be aired Monday.

Sarah Gilbert, who is credited with saving millions of lives through her role in designing the jab, said the world must build on key lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic.

"This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods. The truth is, the next one could be worse. It could be more contagious, or more lethal, or both," Gilbert said in her draft Richard Dimbleby Lecture, to be broadcast Monday evening. - AFP.

India's airlines incurred loss of Rs 19,564 cr in 2020-21: Govt

The airlines and airports in India incurred an estimated loss of Rs 19,564 crore and Rs 5,116 crore, respectively, in 2020-21 due to severe disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said on Monday.

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, scheduled domestic flights were suspended in India from March 25, 2020 to May 24, 2020. - PTI.

Italy imposes new Covid rules on unvaccinated

People in Italy unvaccinated against Covid-19 can no longer go to the theatre, cinemas, live music venues or major sporting events under new rules that came into force Monday.

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A crowded Narwal wholesale vegetable market amid the threat of spreading of the new Covid-19 variant 'Omicron' on the outskirts of Jammu, Monday, December6, 2021. Credit: PTI Photo

Karnataka minister hints at shutting schools, colleges after spike in Covid-19 clusters

A sudden spike in the number of Covid-19 clusters in various parts of the state especially at schools and colleges has left both the education and health department officials worried. While adopting a wait-and-watch approach, Primary and Secondary Education minister B C Nagesh on Monday said that government is ready to shut down schools if the numbers continue to increase. Read more

Scindia calls for meeting after chaos at Delhi airport over Covid test

Taking cognizance of the mismanagement of crowd at Delhi airport resulting in a chaotic situation, Union Civil Aviation Minister Scindiahas called a high-level meeting today comprising of officials from Delhi Airport, AAI, immigration and Covid-19 testing lab company.

Wife, brother-in-law of Gujarat Omicron patient test positive for coronavirus, samples sent for genome sequencing

The wife and brother-in-law of an NRI man, who had been found infected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 here in Gujarat, have tested positive for coronavirus and their samples have been sent for genome sequencing, officials said on Monday. Both of them were shifted to an isolation ward, said a release issued by the Jamnagar Municipal corporation.

On December 4, the genome sequencing established that the 72-year-old NRI man, who arrived here from Zimbabwe, one of the "at-risk" countries, had contracted the Omicron variant of Covid-19. (PTI)

A group of protesters gather in Times Square in Manhattan to show their opposition to Covid-19 Vaccines on on December 05, 2021 in New York City. Despite the newly discovered omicron strain of Covid and health officials urging for more people to get vaccinated, many around the world are still resistant to vaccines, mandates and the lockdowns that many countries have imposed after outbreaks. Credit: AFP Photo

At outbreak epicentre, South African students shrug off Omicron and fret about exams

The students knew their South African university was the epicentre of a new Covid-19 variant spreading panic across the globe, but over the past week many worried more about how Omicron would mess up exams and holiday plans than about catching it.

At the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), in the capital Pretoria, learners languidly walked across the green campus shaded by trees, chatting, buying soft drinks, staring at their phones and sitting on benches overlooking a pond. (Reuters)

Omicron coronavirus variant linked with high risk of reinfection: Study

The recently identified Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is associated with a substantial ability to evade immunity from prior Covid-19 infection, according to a study based on population-level evidence. The team of researchers in South Africa noted that, in contrast, there is no population-wide epidemiological evidence of immune escape associated with the Beta or Delta variants. (PTI)

Next pandemic could be more lethal than Covid, says Oxford vaccine creator

Future pandemics could be even more lethal than Covid-19 so the lessons learned from the pandemic must not be squandered, one of the creators of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine said.

"This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods," Sarah Gilbert said in the Richard Dimbleby Lecture, the BBC reported. "The truth is, the next one could be worse. It could be more contagious, or more lethal, or both." (Reuters)

Omicron: Karnataka awaits report of 5 samples

The Karnataka health department is awaiting the genome sequencing test results of five persons who came in contact with a doctor infected with the Omicron Covid variant. The results are expected to arrive on Monday.

India reports 8,306 new Covid-19 cases

India on Monday reported 8,306 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hour, according to Union Health Ministry data. Read more

Karnataka’s active Covid caseload on rise again

Coupled with 330 discharges on Sunday, the state’s active caseload also stood at 7,132 cases as of Sunday afternoon, which is higher than the 7,012 active cases of the day before. This increase represents the reversal of a 22-day decline in the active caseload. Read more

'Extreme' vaccine discrimination risks leaving Africa behind

Africa has little chance of overcoming theCovid-19 pandemic unless 70 per centof its population is vaccinated by end-2022, yet "extreme vaccine discrimination" is leaving the continent behind, a report published on Monday said. (Reuters)

Karnataka ahead of other southern states in Covid vaccination, more than 66% of adults fully jabbed

Karnataka is well ahead of its neighbouring states in fully vaccinating its adult population against Covid-19 with the IT state administering two doses of Covid-19 vaccine to more than 66% of its 4.72 crore adults. Read more

India reports 17 Omicron variant cases in a day as Delhi, Rajasthan report first cases

India reported 17 more cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 on Sunday - nine persons inRajasthancapital Jaipur, seven inMaharashtra's Pune districtand a 37-year-old fully vaccinated man who arrived in Delhi from Tanzania - taking the tally to 21 in the country. Read more

India could see mild third wave by early next year: Experts

India could see a mild third wave which will peak in the early part of next year, according to experts who have been modelling the pandemic. Read more