ICMR plays down Omicron threat; says Delta still the dominant corona strain in India

Covid-19 protocols, of wearing a mask and sanitising your hands, have become all the more important now. (Representational image: Reuters)

Just when a Covid-ravaged 2021 appeared to be ending on a relatively happy note, came the sucker punch.

Not only has the pandemic persisted, there is enough evidence of it staging a considerable comeback, with 2022 looking a lot more menacing.

To be sure, this latest rise in number of infections is not an all-India phenomenon, but pockets are emerging, from where the spread could be difficult to control.

“At the moment, the coronavirus exists in pockets, for instance the North East. But the golden rules apply; wear a mask and get vaccinated,” said Dr Samiran Panda, additional director general Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

In Panda’s view, the death of a person in Delhi from Covid-19 on Sunday assumes importance because even double vaccination proved no guarantee against an infection.

So, could the latest outbreak be Omicron? “It looks highly unlikely. It is more the Delta, the older variant. Omicron can commute through foreign travelers and international commuters, and the government is keeping a very close watch on arrivals at airports and other entry points,” he told Moneycontrol.

On December 19, as many as 7,081 people tested positive for coronavirus infections all over India, Union Health Ministry data said. The country’s total cases rose to 3,37,40, 275, while active cases declined to 83,913, the lowest in 570 days.  

The total number of doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 137.46 crore.

Delhi’s worrying trend

That there is evidence of some pockets being hit harder than others was clear in Delhi, which recorded more than 100 new Covid cases in a single day on Sunday after a gap of nearly six-seven months amid growing concerns about Omicron variant of the virus, including one fatality, the first in 11 days.

On December 18, the capital had recorded 86 fresh cases, the highest figures recorded since July. In the last 48 hours, Delhi has recorded the highest number of cases since June 25, 2021, with a positivity rate of 0.13%.

According to authorities, with more than 68 fresh cases recorded every day last week, the number of containment zones have also gone up to 157 from 113 on November 12.

According to Dr Panda, states must play an important role now. While Omicron cases may go up, it may not necessarily cause a heavy burden in terms of severe infection. Of the 100 odd Omicron cases, most were travel related.

In any case, he said that the Omicron mutant in India was too small to arrive at a possible inference on the community transmission of this variant of SARS. Co V-2.

The ICMR additional director general said that it is important to appreciate that the number of infected individuals does not necessarily mean the number of symptomatic cases. The terms `infected’ individual and `cases’ or `patients of Omicron’ are not synonymous, he stressed.