As more countries report cases of the new variant of Omicron, governments around the world are making efforts to stop the spread of the new variety. Several countries have imposed travel restrictions and stricter Covid guidelines have been put in place for countries at risk.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) new Omicron strain poses global ‘high risk’. “Given mutations that may confer immune escape potential and potentially a transferability benefit, the likelihood of possible further spread of Omicron on a global scale is high. Depending on these characteristics, there could be future increases in Covid-19 which, depending on the case, could have serious consequences ”on a number of factors including where the surge voltage could occur. The overall global risk in connection with the new VOC Omicron is rated as very high, “according to an assessment by the WHO.
WHO LISTED PRIORITY PROMOTIONS FOR MEMBER NATIONS
* Improve monitoring and sequencing efforts for better understanding circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, including omicron. If capacity is available, conduct field research and laboratory evaluations to improve understanding of Omicron’s properties. This should include community testing to see if Omicron is floating around in the community.
* Since S-gene target failure (SGTF) is indicated for Omicron from a widely used PCR test (ThermoFisher TaqPath), the SGTF can be used as a marker for this variant, which can lead to efficient detection of Omicron.
* Report the first cases / clusters related to Omicron infection to the WHO via the IHR mechanism.
* Then report (publicly or through IHR) the proportion of Omicron among the sequenced samples (and / or, if available, the proportion of SGTF)
* Accelerate COVID-19 vaccination coverage as soon as possible, especially for high priority populations who remain unvaccinated or are not yet fully vaccinated.
* Use a risk-based approach to adjust international travel policies in a timely manner. See the upcoming WHO recommendations for international traffic with regard to the SARS-CoV-2-Omicron variant
Reading | To find out whether the Omicron variant can escape immunity: Member of the Maha Covid Task Force
PRECAUTIONS RECOMMENDED
– The use of masks, physical distancing, indoor ventilation, avoidance of crowds and hand
Hygiene remains the key to reducing the transmission of SARS CoV-2 even with the advent of the Omicron variant. The contact tracing of COVID-19 cases to interrupt the transmission chains of SARS-CoV-2 is strongly recommended.
– Ensure that early warning systems are in place to allow efficient adaptation of public health and social policies.
– In anticipation of increased COVID-19 case numbers and associated pressure on the health system, ensure that mitigation plans are in place to maintain basic health services and the necessary health care resources are in place to respond to potential surges.
– Authorities should regularly and transparently provide the public with evidence-based information on the Omicron and other variants in circulation and potential impacts, including known and unknown information and actions by the competent authorities, in a timely and transparent manner
In the meantime, India has also tightened its travel rules to prevent the new variant from being transmitted. On Sunday, the center announced new guidelines for international travelers to India, which will take effect from December 1st.
The revised guidelines require submitting travel data for 14 days and uploading a negative RT-PCR test report to the Air Suvidha portal prior to travel.
The government announced that it would review the resumption of scheduled international flights.
Also read | Omicron variant: “Mumbai must take extreme precautions,” says BMC commissioner
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