NEWS HOME

»

OMICRON

 

COVID-19: Omicron found in 94 per cent of positive samples in Kerala, says Health Minister Veena George

Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Thursday said that most of the positive COVID-19 samples, sent for the genome sequencing, are being tested positive for the Omicron variant of the virus while there are fewer Delta variant samples.... read..

---

 

Moderna says it has begun trial of Omicron-specific vaccine booster

Moderna, an American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Cambridge on Wednesday (local time) announced that it has begun clinical trials of a booster dose of a vaccine designed specifically to combat the Omicron variant of COVID-19.... read..

---

 

Current anti-COVID pills work well against Omicron, antibody drugs less effective: Study

A new study has found the drugs behind the new pills to treat COVID-19 remain very effective against the Omicron variant of the virus in lab tests.... read..

---

 

UAE to lift ban on entry from African countries where Omicron originated from Jan 29

Dubai [UAE], January 27 (ANI/Sputnik): The UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) announced it will lift on January 29 entry restrictions imposed in November 2021 on travellers from 12 African countries, from which the new... read..

---

 

Canada confirms 51 cases of new Omicron subvariant

Ottawa [Canada], January 27 (ANI/Xinhua): Canada has found 51 cases of a new Omicron subvariant known as BA.2 mainly from international travelers, according to local media CTV on Wednesday.... read..

---

 

Rather than Omicron, immunocompromised, comorbidities, age causing ICU admissions, deaths: Health Expert

Although COVID-19 cases are showing a downward trend in the big cities, the ICU admissions and deaths are being driven by patients with comorbidities, people who are immunocompromised, and the aged.... read..

---

 

Study finds changes in Omicron's spike protein

A team of scientists has found the precise structural changes in the spike protein of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.... read..

---

 

Omicron generated antibodies effective against all variants of concern in adolescents, adults: ICMR study

The latest study conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) shows that antibodies generated by Omicron, a COVID-19 strain, are not only effective against it but also other variants of concern (VOCs) including Delta.... read..

---

 

Myanmar reports 37 more Omicron cases

Myanmar recorded 37 more Covid-19 cases of the Omicron variant, bringing the total tally of confirmed Omicron cases to 183, according to a release from its Ministry of Health.... read..

---

 

Tom Ford's New York Fashion Week show scrapped amid Omicron surge

Fashion designer Tom Ford has cancelled his Fall 2020 runway show at the New York Fashion Week amid the surge in COVID-19 cases spurred by the Omicron variant.... read..

---

 

Why Omicron variant is less severe than Delta

The Omicron variant of Covid is highly contagious but is known to cause less severe disease than Delta. This is after being better at escaping immune protection by vaccinations and previous infections. However, the reasons for this have so far remained el... read..

---

 

Researchers find explanation for Omicron variant causing less severe disease

The Omicron variant replaced the Delta variant as the dominant COVID-19 variant in the world, starting from late 2021 to early 2022. But, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant caused less severe disease than Delta, although it was better at escaping immune prote... read..

---

 

Fauci optimistic Omicron cases to peak in February

Anthony Fauci, top US infectious disease expert, has said he is confident that most states in the country will reach a peak of Omicron infection cases by mid-February.... read..

---

 

Will Omicron derail recovery of airlines in South and Southeast Asia?

In reporting its latest operating data, Singapore Airlines (SIA), co-owner of Gurgaon-based Vistara airlines, revealed that it carried 600,000 passengers in December, nearly doubled the number of passengers it carried a month ago. This is ten times higher... read..

---

 

Omicron's immune evasion behind rapid spread, say studies

Two new studies, not yet peer-reviewed, have shown immune evasion is the reason behind the Omicron variant's increased transmissibility.... read..

---

 

Omicron in community transmission - The impact explained

Covid's Omicron variant is now in community transmission stage in India, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said in its latest bulletin on Sunday, noting become dominant in multiple metros, where new cases have been rising exponentially.... read..

---

 

Omicron drives surging Covid-19 cases in Nepal: Health authority

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is now driving daily cases to surge in Nepal, accounting for 88 per cent of the samples tested recently, the country's Ministry of Health and Population has said.... read..

---

 

CDRI develops Omicron testing kit

The CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) has developed an indigenous RT-PCR diagnostic kit, called 'Om', for testing the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.... read..

---

 

Omicron driving spike in new Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is driving a huge spike in fresh infections in Bangladesh, a senior official has said.... read..

---

 

Australia approves Novavax amid Omicron battle

Australia on Monday approved Novavax for people aged 18 and over, making it the fourth Covid-19 vaccine to be approved for use in the country after AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer amid the continued battle against the Omicron-fuelled pandemic.... read..

---

 

Is Omicron subvariant BA.2 more transmissible?

Even as Omicron has been showing signs of peaking, some European countries are seeing the rise of Omicron subvariant BA.2, sparking concern among the scientific community.... read..

---

 

New Zealand reports 24 new community cases amid Omicron alerts

New Zealand recorded 24 new community cases of Covid-19, said the Ministry of Health in a statement.... read..

---

 

COVID-19 variant Omicron in community transmission stage in India, no evidence of rapid spread B.1.640.2 lineage: INSACOG

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is in the community transmission stage in India and it has also become dominant in multiple metros, where new cases have been rising exponentially, said Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) in its weekly bulletin... read..

---

 

Omicron remains focus of US Covid-19 battle

The Omicron Covid-19 variant has been forcing more US schools to go virtual with its short span of incubation and ability to evade antivirals, while the country sustains its fight against this tough foe with free masks, tests and an accentuation on vaccin... read..

---

 

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern cancels wedding due to Omicron surge

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday informed that she has canceled her wedding amid a new wave of Omicron cases in the country.... read..

---

 

Indonesia reports 1st two deaths from Omicron variant

Indonesia's Health Ministry confirmed the first two deaths from the Omicron coronavirus variant amid a spike in cases triggered by the more infectious virus.... read..

---

 

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern cancels her wedding due to Omicron surge

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday informed that she has canceled her wedding amid a new wave of Omicron cases in the country.... read..

---

 

NZ to escalate to 'Red Light' settings due to local Omicron transmission

New Zealand will move to 'Red Light' settings from 11.59 p.m. on Sunday due to cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant detected in the community, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced here.... read..

---

 

Maha: After Covid, Omicron catapults to record high

A day after Covid-19 cases scaled a new high above 48,000 mark, Omicron infections set a new record with Mumbai notching the maximum cases of the variant and deaths remained in double-digits, health officials said here on Saturday.... read..

---

 

Explained: Why antibodies become ineffective against Omicron

The presence of a large number of mutations, and more than 30 on its spike protein makes antibodies ineffective against the Omicron variant of Covid-19, shows a study.... read..

---

 

Omicron in community transmission stage in India: INSACOG

The new Covid variant Omicron has reached in community transmission level in India, said Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) on Sunday.... read..

---

 

COVID-19: Omicron driven wave will turn to villages after metros, says expert

The Omicron variant driven wave of COVID-19 will now turn to small towns and villages in the coming few weeks after its transmission in metro cities as each time a wave follows this trend, said Dr Rajeev Jayadevan who is advising COVID-19 task force at IM... read..

---

 

COVID-19 varaint Omicron in community transmission stage in India, no evidence of rapid spread B.1.640.2 lineage: INSACOG

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is in the community transmission stage in India and it has also become dominant in multiple metros, where new cases have been rising exponentially, said Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) in its weekly bulletin... read..

---

 

Chinese vaccine Sinovac no match against Omicron variant: Study

Millions of people in 48 countries have received two shots of Sinovac, a Chinese-manufactured Covid-19 vaccine, but those vaccinations alone are of no help against the Omicron variant, a peer-reviewed study published in Nature Medicine has said.... read..

---

 

Maha: Covid cases scale new record; Omicron infections, fatalities increase

Maharashtra Covid-19 cases scaled a new high above 48,000 mark and Omicron infections also increased while deaths continued to remain in double-digits, health officials said here on Friday.... read..

---

 

Indian-origin scientist creates 1st molecular structure of Omicron protein

An Indian-origin researcher at University of British Columbia (UBC) has created the world's first molecular-level structural analysis of the Omicron variant spike protein.... read..

---

 

3 doses of mRNA Covid vaccines very effective against Omicron, Delta: Study

Three doses of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, are effective in protecting against emergency department visits (ED) and hospitalisations associated with Omicron and Delta variations of the virus, claims a new study.... read..

---

 

UK classifies new form of Omicron as 'variant under investigation'

A new form of Omicron named BA.2 has been designated a "variant under investigation", with 426 cases of the Covid-19 strain's sub-lineage confirmed in Britain, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.... read..

---

 

Less hospitalisation, less severity in Omicron driven wave, say Experts

Delhi is reporting a ten-time lesser number of hospitalisations in the Omicron-driven wave of COVID-19 as compared to the second wave, informed Dr Dhiren Gupta, Paediatric Pulmonologist at Sir Gangaram Hospital in Delhi on Friday.... read..

---

 

Omicron may cut future severity, protect against Delta: S.African study

A new research on Omicron-infected patients suggests that the current Covid wave, driven by the new strain, appears to cause less severe illness and even provide protection against the deadlier Delta variant.... read..

---

 

WHO European Office releases fact sheet on Omicron variant

A fact sheet addressing "speculation, assumptions and misinformation being communicated about the Omicron Covid-19 variant" was released by the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office for Europe in Copenhagen.... read..

---

 

S.Korea reports 6,769 new Covid cases amid Omicron woes

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed over 6,000 for a second straight day on Friday amid concerns over the spread of the omicron variant ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.... read..

---

 

Maha: Covid cases again breach 46K-mark, Omicron infections drop

Maharashtras daily Covid-19 numbers again shot above the 46,000-mark on Thursday though Omicron cases declined to remain in the 100-plus range, while deaths continued to be in double-digits, health officials said here on Thursday.... read..

---

 

Sputnik V shows strong protection against Omicron: Joint Italian-Russian study

The Sputnik V vaccine has demonstrated strong protection against Omicron variant, with over 2 times higher virus neutralising activity compared to the Pfizer vaccinea, ccording to a study conducted by the Spallanzani Institute in Italy in collaboration wi... read..

---

 

Omicron patients below 60 years can take paracetamol: Expert

People below 60 years of age with no comorbidities, infected by the Omicron variant of Covid-19, can begin their treatment with paracetamol, Dr Shashank Joshi, member of Maharashtra's Covid task force, said.... read..

---

 

Poland's Covid infections reach new high as Omicron takes hold

Poland has reported 30,586 new Covid-19 infections, the highest number since the spring of last year.... read..

---

 

Omicron vaccine could be available in Netherlands by April: official

The Hague [Netherlands], January 20 (ANI/Xinhua): A vaccine adapted to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 could be available in the Netherlands by the end of April, Dutch Health Minister Ernst Kuipers wrote on Wednesday in a letter to the parliament.... read..

---

 

COVID-19: Sputnik V shows strong protection against Omicron compared to Pfizer vaccine, says Italy-Russia joint study

Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V has demonstrated strong protection against the Omicron variant of the virus compared to the Pfizer vaccine, according to a study conducted at the Spallanzani Institute in Italy in collaboration with investors in the Spu... read..

---

 

Covid booster dose provides good antibody protection against Omicron: Lancet

A third 'booster' dose of Covid-19 vaccine successfully raises antibody levels that neutralise the Omicron variant, according to laboratory findings.... read..

---

 

German COVID-19 infections hit record high amid Omicron wave

Berlin [Germany], January 20 (ANI/Xinhua): Germany's seven-day COVID-19 incidence rate exceeded 600 for the first time as 638.8 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants were recorded, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said on Thursday.... read..

---

 

Myanmar's Omicron cases rise to 146 with 28 new infections

Yangon [Myanmar], January 20 (ANI/Xinhua): The number of Omicron cases has risen to 146 after 28 new cases were reported in Myanmar, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health on Thursday.... read..

---