Covid 19: Assam to release new SOPs over Omicron variant

The first cases of the Omicron variant in India have been confirmed in two individuals in Karnataka. One of them was a South African national and has already left the country. India reported 9,216 new daily Covid-19 cases and 391 deaths in the last 24 hours.

While the emergence of the new variant was unwelcome, WHO's chief scientist said, the world was much better prepared given the development of vaccines since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization has urged countries to boost healthcare capacity and vaccinate their people to fight a surge in Covid-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant, saying travel curbs could buy time but alone were not the answer.

The WHO's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told that while the new coronavirus variant Omicron appeared to be very transmissible, the right response was to be prepared, cautious and not panic.

After the detection of Omicron cases in 30 countries of the world including India, tension occupies the minds of the lawmakers of Assam too as a result of which Assam health minister Keshab Mahanta called an urgent media meet and announced that a new SOP with some strict rules were coming up very soon.

Mahanta even added that 24 hospitals across the state have been prepared to treat Omicron patients. It was mentioned that the symptoms of this variant were milder than that of the other Covid variants like delta.

The state cabinet will be releasing a new set of SOPs within the upcoming two or three days. It was informed that the rules of the SOP were under inspection and assessment.

Addressing the media, the health minister said that Omicron had a very high transmitting capacity.

Mahanta added that 24 hospitals across the state have been prepared to treat Omicron patients.  He mentioned that the symptoms of this variant were milder than that of the other Covid variants like delta.

The suspected people will be tested through RAT and RT-PCR and the samples will be either Kolkata or Pune for testing and verification, he said. 

Assam chief minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma also urged the people to stay alert, not to panic, follow all the Covid protocols and get themselves vaccinated.