Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said no cases of 'Omicron' have been reported in India
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya today said that no cases of new COVID-19 variant 'Omicron' have been reported in the country, so far.
"No case of COVID-19 variant Omicron has been reported in India so far," Mr Mandaviya said in Rajya Sabha during Question Hour today.
Owing to the information received on the virus, the minister said that an advisory has been issued in this regard.
"We are immediately checking suspicious cases and conducting genome sequencing. We have learnt a lot during the COVID crisis. Today, we have a lot of resources and laboratories. We can manage any situation," the minister said.
He further assured that all necessary precautions are being taken to stop the virus from entering the country.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as 'Omicron' and cautioned countries of the new variant.
Following this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a comprehensive meeting to review the public health preparedness and vaccination-related situation for COVID-19.
As per an official statement issued by Prime Minister Office, officials briefed the Prime Minister about the new Variant of Concern 'Omicron' along with its characteristics and the impact seen in various countries.
Its implications for India were also discussed. The Prime Minister spoke about the need to be proactive in light of the new variant. The PM highlighted the need for monitoring all international arrivals, their testing as per guidelines, with a specific focus on countries identified 'at risk'. He also asked officials to review plans for easing of international travel restrictions in light of the emerging new evidence.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)