AIIMS Chief: Citing the rise in rate of the Omicron disease Director Dr Randeep Guleria, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on December 19, said that India should prepare itself for any eventuality.
Statement by AIIMS Chief Guleria:
While speaking to ANI Guleria stated that “We should prepare and hope that things are not as bad as in the United Kingdom. We need more data on Omicron. Whenever there is a surge in cases in other parts of the world, we need to monitor it closely and be prepared for any eventuality. It is better to stay prepared than to get caught off-guard.”
Till now India has reported more than 100 cases of Omicron.
When was Omicron reported?
The Omicron Variant was initially reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25. According to WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9, 2021.
The WHO on November 19, named the new variant of COVID-19 as B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as ‘Omicron’. The WHO has classified Omicron as a ‘variant of concern’.