Citing spread of Omicron in United Kingdom, South Africa and a few other countries, Health Minister Harish Rao directed officials to be on alert. Health staff were also instructed to keep a watch on the situation in Maharashtra and Kerala, where Omicron cases were going up.
At a review meeting here on Tuesday to discuss prevalence of the new variant and third wave, among others, a decision was taken to form a committee to assess prevalence of COVID cases, and Omicron across the country, every day.
As part of preparations to face the third wave, Health officials were asked to ready 21 lakh home isolation kits, and ensure 545 metric tonnes of oxygen supply to 27,996 beds.
210 cases
The State registered 210 COVID cases on Tuesday, taking the total to 6,78,688. One more COVID patient died.
The new cases include 87 from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), 21 from Hanamkonda, 18 from Medchal-Malkajgiri, and 12 from Rangareddy.
From March 2, 2020, to December 14 this year, a total of 2.90 crore samples were tested and 6,78,688 were detected with coronavirus. Of the total cases, 3,833 were active cases, 6,70,846 recovered, and 4,009 people died. Genome sequencing results of samples collected from three fliers were still awaited.
