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HomeNewscoronavirusOmicron Threat: Karnataka records 6 more cases, tally now 14

Omicron Threat: Karnataka records 6 more cases, tally now 14

Of six cases, five have have been detected from COVID clusters that have emerged from two educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada district.

December 18, 2021 / 19:18 IST
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Representative image: Reuters

Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Saturday said six more cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected in the state.

Of six cases, five have have been detected from COVID clusters that have emerged from two educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada district. This takes the state's tally of Omicron cases to fourteen.

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ALSO READ: Omicron cases doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with local spread: WHO

"Two cluster outbreaks of COVID have been reported from two educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada today: Cluster 1: 14 cases (of which 4 are Omicron). Cluster 2: 19 cases (1 is Omicron). A traveller from UK has also tested positive for Omicron," Sudhakar tweeted. The new cases of Omicron have been detected after five cases were reported in the state on Thursday.

COVID-19 Vaccine
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A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

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Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.
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