'Omicron Is Like A Live Weakened Virus'

The centre unveils a booster shot programme and states rush to impose restrictions as rising omicron cases trigger fears of a third covid wave

- Sonali Acharjee

After nearly five months of being able to travel freely at all hours, residents in Delhi now have to make peace with a new night curfew. The national capital reported 331 new Covid cases on December 27, the highest single-day rise since June 9. The figure was nearly 10 times higher than the number of fresh cases reported on December 1. Keeping the surge in mind, the Delhi government joined neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in imposing a night curfew. Even though Delhi’s test positivity rate is only 0.68 per cent, well below the WHO (World Health Organization) recommendation of 5 per cent or lower, officials are erring on the side of caution as the new highly infectious Covid variant, Omicron, has already been detected in at least 165 cases in the state, as on December 28.

India had logged 653 Omicron cases across 21 states and Union territories till December 28, of which 186 patients had recovered or migrated, according to the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW). Maharashtra recorded the maximum cases (167), followed by Delhi (165), Kerala (57), Telangana (55), Gujarat (49) and Rajasthan (46). As seen with the second wave caused by the Delta variant earlier this year, any sustained rise in Covid cases is a warning of an oncoming surge. “We shouldn’t wait for things to get as bad as they are abroad, particularly in the UK. Omicron has caused major surges globally and we must be prepared to stop a similar situation in India,” says Dr Randeep Guleria, director, AIIMS, New Delhi.