A new coronavirus variant which is potentially highly transmissible first recognized by the South African scientists has incited a fresh round of travel limitations over the world. This variant has raised concern about what may happen next in this Coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organisation has said it is still vague if the Omicron variant is more transmissible or if it will lead to severe health issues than the other existing variants. The WHO said, “A few initial studies have shown this could bring higher risk of re-infection with Omicron. This means people who were infected earlier with Covid-19 have chances of re-infecting more easily with Omicron, than other variants. “But the information we have by far is limited”. It further added, “There is currently no information to share that symptoms related to Omicron vary from those other variants”. “Vaccines continue to be important to reduce chances of severe disease and death, including against the dominant circulating virus, Delta. Current vaccines remain effective against severe disease and death”.
While it can take scientists some weeks to grab an understanding about the omicron variant, along with the details on how quickly it can disperse and what the disease from infection caused due to the variant looks like. WHO has labeled Omicron as a “variant of concern” which means it is highly communicable, more venomous, and can avoid the grip of protection offered by the vaccines than the original variant of Coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Union health ministry on Sunday has issued reviewed guidelines for global arrivals to India which will be influenced from December 1. The revised guidelines make sure for the submission of 14 days’ travel details and uploading a negative report of RT-PCR test on the “Air Suvidha” website before the travel. Tourists coming from ‘countries-at-risk’ will have to take the Covid-19 test after their arrival and wait for the reports at the airport. If they are tested negative, they’ll go under home quarantine for seven days.
