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Sputnik V demonstrates strong protection against Omicron variant: Study

Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology on Wednesday said that Sputnik V demonstrated strong protection against Omicron variant of COVID-19.... read..

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Contact tracing intensified after Omicron subvariants BA.4, BA.5 detected, says expert

After the detection of Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 in India, the government has intensified contact tracing said a health expert on Wednesday.... read..

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Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants of COVID-19 will not lead to surge in cases but stay vigilant, says Expert

After India witnessed cases of the sub-variants of Omicron, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of the Indian Medical Association's national task force on Tuesday said that these newly-detected sub-lineages will not cause a surge in infections but people sti... read..

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'More Contagious' Omicron subtype BA.4 detected in China, zero-covid policy miserably fails

China reported the first case of a COVID-19 infection caused by the Omicron BA.4 variant, which was imported, according to an epidemiological survey by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.... read..

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INSACOG confirms first case of BA.4, BA.5 Omicron subvariants of COVID-19 in India

First case of BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been found in Tamil Nadu and Telangana respectively, confirmed the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) on Sunday.... read..

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Tamil Nadu reports BA.4 sub-variant of Omicron, claims State Health Minister

India's first case of BA.4 sub-variant of Omicron from Tamil Nadu on Saturday, claims Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian.... read..

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INSACOG confirms first case of Omicron subvariant BA.4 in India

India's first case of BA.4 subvariant of the Omicron strain of coronavirus was detected in Hyderabad through a genomic surveillance program, informed sources on Friday.... read..

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Omicron smashes North Korea's 'safety vacuum', 820,000 COVID-19 cases reported

North Korea reported 15 new death from "fever" in the last 24 hours, taking the total tally of the deaths in the country to 42 in just three days, media reported on Sunday.... read..

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North Korea reports first case of Covid-19 Omicron variant

North Korea on Thursday reported its first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant and put in place a "maximum emergency" virus control system in the country with leader Kim Jong Un vowing to "eliminate" the virus, state media reported.... read..

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Pakistan reports 1st case of COVID-19 Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1

Pakistan on Monday reported the first case of COVID-19 Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1.... read..

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New Zealand reports first Omicron BA.5 variant

Wellington [New Zealand], May 8 (ANI/Xinhua): New Zealand reported its first case of Omicron BA.5 variant at the border amid 12,392 community cases during the weekend, said the Ministry of Health in a statement on Sunday.... read..

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Global air cargo demand drops over Russia-Ukraine war, Omicron concerns

A decline in global air cargo markets was witnessed in the month of March, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) data showed amid COVID variant Omicron's influence in Asia and the Russia-Ukraine war that is leading to a challenging operationa... read..

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New Zealand reports first Omicron BA.4 variant

Wellington [New Zealand], May 1 (ANI/Xinhua): New Zealand reported its first case of Omicron BA.4 variant at the border amid 12,699 community cases during the weekend, said the Ministry of Health on Sunday.... read..

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Philippines detects first case of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12

Manila [Philippines], April 27 (ANI/Sputnik): The Philippines has detected the first Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12 in a 52-year-old Finnish female who arrived in the country on April 2, the Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday.... read..

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Beijing tests 20 million residents amid Omicron outbreak

Beijing has rolled out mass Covid testing for nearly 20 million residents in most of the city, as authorities race to contain a fresh Omicron outbreak that has sparked panic buying amid fears of a Shanghai style lockdown, the media reported.... read..

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New Omicron sub-variant seen behind surge in Delhi's Covid cases

A new Omicron sub variant may be the reason behind the sudden surge of Covid cases in Delhi, which witnessed over 60 per cent rise in fresh Covid cases on Wednesday at 1,009 cases.... read..

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COVID-19: Possibility of new variants of Omicron in Delhi

With the latest spike of more than 1000 COVID-19 cases in the national capital in a single day, the health experts believed that possibilities of new variants of the Omicron are emerging and they are being sequenced.... read..

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Moderna's new Covid vax more effective against Omicron than other shots

Moderna has developed a new version of its Covid-19 vaccine which has shown promise against Omicron variant much more than existing shots.... read..

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New versions of Omicron that may outpace BA.2 found

Scientists have found 21 viral offspring linked with BA.2 that may outpace the most successful subvariant of Omicron variant so far.... read..

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Top scientist feels closure of schools not imperative as Omicron is mild than other COVID-19 variants

With the rising concerns around the safety of students amid the fear of possible another fourth wave due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the top scientist clarified that the Omicron is mild than other variants and it will be unjustified to shut down schoo... read..

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XE variant just another form of Omicron, detected in Jan also: Mandaviya

The new XE variant of Covid is just another form of Omicron, and its case was detected in January also before recently being found in Gujarat, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday.... read..

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Mumbai man, 67, confirmed as first Omicron XE case

It's official. The first case of coronavirus variant Omicron XE has been detected in Mumbai, and confirmed by the NCDC, Delhi, officials said on Saturday.... read..

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Covid variant worse than Omicron in next 2 years: UK epidemiologist

There is a "high chance" that a new Covid variant which is worse than Omicron will emerge in the next two years, England's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty has warned.... read..

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Threat of Omicron has not gone away from India: Health Ministry

As the country reels under the prevalence of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Union Health Ministry's Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal on Monday said that the threat of the Omicron variant has not gone away from India adding that the country has done a... read..

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Covid-19: Myanmar logs 31 cases of Omicron sub-variant

Yangon [Myanmar], March 18 (ANI/Xinhua): Myanmar confirmed its first batch of 31 cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant's BA.2 sub-lineage on Friday, the Ministry of Health said.... read..

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India managed Omicron surge much better than other countries: Centre

The proactive measures in India's COVID-19 vaccination drive helped the country control the spread of Omicron, which was globally six times higher than the previous wave, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.... read..

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US experts warn spread of more contagious Omicron sub-type as restrictions lifted

New York [US], February 23 (ANI/Xinhua): Experts are warning of the spread of a new strain of Omicron variant in the United States and potential health effects after infection, as major states in the country rushed to shed off COVID-19 restrictions amid a... read..

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Omicron wave accounts for more deaths than Delta surge in US: Report

San Francisco [US], February 22 (ANI/Xinhua): The Omicron wave is breaking, but deaths have surpassed those from the Delta wave in the United States, The Seattle Times has reported.... read..

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Omicron BA.2 will not cause another COVID-19 surge, says expert

As India reports a high number of Omicron BA.2 cases, a top Health Expert has said it is not a cause of concern because it will not lead to another COVID-19 surge in the country.... read..

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Zero-Covid strategy fails in Hong Kong amid Omicron wave

In the face of the latest Omicron wave, the zero-Covid strategy of Hong Kong has failed as daily infections top 4,000, the previous fail-safe systems have begun to buckle under the strain of their own uncompromising rules.... read..

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COVID-19: Tripura reports 120 Omicron cases

A total of 120 Omicron cases were detected in Tripura on Wednesday.... read..

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65 per cent of people with hybrid immunity neutralised Omicron variant of COVID-19, says study conducted by Kerala doctor

Hybrid immunity is effective in preventing the spread of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, reveals the study conducted by Dr Padmanabha Shenoy, a rheumatologist and medical director at CARE Hospital in Kochi.... read..

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SK Bioscience to develop COVID-19 Omicron-specific vaccine

Seoul [South Korea], February 9 (ANI/Global Economic): As the Omicron COVID-19 variant, which is now the most dominant strain in the world, rapidly spread in Korea, SK Bioscience also started developing Omicron-specific vaccines.... read..

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Turkish President says contracted Omicron variant of coronavirus

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday announced that he contracted the Omicron strain of coronavirus.... read..

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COVID reinfections due to stronger immune escape phenomenon in Omicron than Delta: Health Experts

Health experts say reinfection of people with COVID-19 within two to three weeks of their last infection is because of the 'immune escape capacity' of the virus.... read..

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Much-needed Maldivian Honeymoon - post-Omicron

New Delhi [India], February 4 (ANI/PNN): With the arrival of the omicron variant, the pandemic roller-coaster ride resumes, but now that the omicron has reached a new low, we may all breathe a sigh of relief.... read..

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Omicron BA.2 sub-lineage insufficiently studied to measure difference from original: EMA

Brussels [Belgium], February 3 (ANI/Sputnik): The subvariant of the Omicron strain of the coronavirus dubbed BA.2 requires further study to understand to what extent it is distinct from its original - the Omicron - regarding contagiousness and other facto... read..

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Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif to resume filming 'Tiger 3' as Omicron wave subsides

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan will be resuming the shoot of his upcoming film 'Tiger 3' soon.... read..

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Delhi Police bust gang involved in WhatsApp hacking on pretext of Omicron booster dose, three held

The IFSO Unit of Special Cell, Delhi Police, arrested three notorious cyber crooks from Agra in Uttar Pradesh who used to hack the WhatsApp accounts of the victims by striking a communication on Omicron booster dose.... read..

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COVID-19 Omicron variant lung damage 'milder than Delta in animals': Study

Studies conducted by a group of international researchers on Monday said that the COVID-19 variant Omicron causes less severe symptoms in the lungs of hamsters than the Delta variant.... read..

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Omicron replaces Delta as dominant variant with 67.5 pc positivity rate in Karnataka: Health Minister

Karnataka Health Minister Sudhakar K on Friday said that statistics show that the Delta variant of COVID-19 has become less dominant which is now replaced by the Omicron variant of the virus as against the second wave in the country when the former varian... read..

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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..

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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..

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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..

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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..

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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..

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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..

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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..

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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..

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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..

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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..

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