Maharashtra reported two more fully vaccinated people infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, with both having Dubai travel history, while a man who had returned from South Africa tested positive in Gujarat, taking the tally in the country to 41 on Monday.
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Here are the latest developments :
Pfizer confirms COVID pill’s results, potency versus omicron
Pfizer said on Tuesday that its experimental COVID-19 pill appears effective against the omicron variant.
The company also said full results of its 2,250-person study confirmed the pill’s promising early results against the virus: The drug reduced combined hospitalizations and deaths by about 89% among high-risk adults when taken shortly after initial COVID-19 symptoms.
Separate laboratory testing shows the drug retains its potency against the omicron variant, the company announced, as many experts had predicted. Pfizer tested the antiviral drug against a man-made version of a key protein that omicron uses to reproduce itself.
The updates come as COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalisation are all rising again and the U.S. hovers around 800,000 pandemic deaths. The latest surge, driven by the delta variant, is accelerating due to colder weather and more indoor gatherings, even as health officials brace for the impact of the emerging omicron mutant.
Seven from Nigeria with suspected symptoms admitted to King Institute
A man who travelled to Tamil Nadu from Nigeria and six of his family members, with COVID-19, have been admitted to the King Institute of Preventive Medicine in Chennai, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said in Tiruchi on Tuesday. The man had landed at the Chennai International Airport two days ago from Nigeria via Doha. He was randomly subjected to the RT-PCR test. The 47-year-old patient was detected with the ‘S’ gene drop out, one of the early indicators of the Omicron variant.
Following this, his six other family members, were subjected to COVID-19 testing. They were also subsequently detected with the ‘S’ gene drop out. Since the preliminary analysis showed the possibility of the Omicron variant, they have been admitted to the King Institute. All of them are asymptomatic.They were under close surveillance, Mr. Subramanian told reporters after visiting the K.A.P. Viswanatham Medical College Hospital.
Swab sample of passenger from Singapore sent for genome sequencing
The Health Department in Coimbatore district has sent the swab sample of a person who returned from Singapore for genome sequencing to check the presence of Omicron variant of the COVID-19.
The person, who returned from Singapore a few days ago, tested positive for COVID-19, following which the swab sample was sent to the State Public Health Laboratory, Teynampet, Health Department sources said.
Confirming the development, Coimbatore District Collector G.S. Sameeran said that the district administration was waiting for the report of the genome sequencing.
Delhi's first patient of Omicron variant of COVID-19 discharged from hospital: Officials
Delhi's first patient of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, a 37-year-old man, has been discharged from the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital, officials said on Tuesday.
The man, a resident of Ranchi, had travelled from Tanzania to Doha and from there, to Delhi on a Qatar Airways flight on December 2. He stayed in Johannesburg in South Africa for a week and had mild symptoms.
The LNJP hospital has been designated for treating patients infected with the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. - PTI
SC slams States for not giving wide publicity of portal on ex-gratia for Covid deaths
The Supreme Court on Monday slammed states for not giving wide publicity about a portal developed for disbursal of ex-gratia compensation for COVID-19 deaths.
A bench of justices M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna said unless wide publicity is given, people will not be able to know the portal address on which they can make an online application.
The top court noted that some states have not given any wide publicity by giving full details of the portal in advertisements in newspapers, more particularly in vernacular language papers, and local channels. - PTI
Nigeria to destroy one million expired COVID-19 vaccines
Nigeria will destroy around one million expired COVID-19 vaccines, Faisal Shuaib, head of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said on Monday, adding his agency was working with drug regulator NAFDAC to set a date for their destruction.
Nigeria's health minister Osagie Ehanire said last week some COVID-19 doses donated by rich Western countries had a remaining shelf life of only weeks, adding to the country's challenges in vaccinating its people. Fewer than 4% of adults in Africa's most populous nation of over 200 million have been fully vaccinated. - Reuters
U.S. Supreme Court rejects religious challenge to New York vaccine mandate
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected challenges brought by a group of Christian doctors and nurses and an organization that promotes vaccine skepticism to New York's refusal to allow religious exemptions to the state's mandate that healthcare workers be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Acting in two cases, the justices denied emergency requests for an injunction requiring the state to permit religious exemptions while litigation over the mandate's legality continues in lower courts. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have granted the injunction. - Reuters
Kareena Kapoor Khan, Amrita Arora test positive
Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan on Monday said she has tested positive for COVID-19, after sources in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said both she and her actor-friend Amrita Arora had contracted the virus.
Kareena confirmed her diagnosis on her Instagram Story, adding that she hopes to be "up and about soon".
"I have tested positive for Covid. I immediately isolated myself while following all medical protocols. I request anyone who has come in contact with me to please get tested," she said in a statement. - PTI
Ireland estimates Omicron accounts for 11% of COVID-19 cases
The Omicron variant likely accounts for 11% of new COVID-19 cases in Ireland, its health chiefs said on Monday, predicting a very rapid increase in the proportion of Omicron infections in the coming days amid probable widespread community transmission.
Ireland has so far confirmed 18 cases of the variant through whole-genome sequencing out of an average 4,000 COVID-19 cases it has been reporting each day. A trait distinguishing Omicron from the dominant Delta variant suggests a much higher total, said the National Public Health Emergency Team.
"Using this methodology, we estimate that 11% of cases are now due to the Omicron variant, an increase from less than 1% only one week ago," Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said in a statement. - Reuters
U.S. Air Force discharges 27 service members for refusing COVID-19 vaccine
The U.S. Air Force on Monday said 27 service members had been discharged for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the first active-duty troops believed to have been removed for declining the vaccine.
The Pentagon made the vaccine mandatory for all service members in August and the vast majority of active-duty troops have received at least one dose.
Ann Stefanek, a spokeswoman for the Air Force, said the troops were given a chance to explain why they had refused to get vaccinated, but none of them were given exemptions. - Reuters
Omicron variant is causing only mild infections, say doctors
The detection of the first case of Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh, in a patient from Vizianagaram district, is causing concern among the people of Visakhapatnam as also those from North Andhra districts. The 34-year-old man has travelled from Ireland to India through Mumbai and Vizag airports.
The patient is in home isolation at his relative’s house at Madhurawada, on the outskirts of the city. “There is no cause for panic as all his contacts have tested negative,” District Medical and Health Officer (DM & HO) S. Tirupathi Rao said.
Andhra Medical College Principal P.V. Sudhakar says though there is no cause for panic as Omicron is causing only mild infections, the worrying factor is its rapid spread. The doctors are unanimous in their call for 100% vaccination to minimise the risk of serious infection. They also emphasise the need to be vigilant and adhere to all COVID-19 protocols to check the spread of Omicron
Omicron: Maharashtra reports two more infections as tally rises to 20
Two cases of Omicron were detected in Maharashtra on Monday, with Pune and Latur districts reporting one case each, taking the number of infections in the State to 20, said health authorities.
Of these cases, nine have already been discharged following a negative RT-PCR test.
City-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) said both cases — a 39-year-old woman from Pune and a 33-year-old men from Latur — were asymptomatic.
India to produce 5 billion doses of vaccines next year: Piyush Goyal
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said India plans to produce 5 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines next year.
“We have been exporting in the past, we continue to export and we have offered to all the countries in the world that we will be willing to supply as many vaccines as other countries would require to ensure equitable availability at affordable prices for vaccines for all the countries in the world,” Mr. Goyal said at the CII Partnership Summit 2021 being held virtually. - PTI
