Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairs a meeting, attended by top officials, on the COVID-19 and vaccination situation in the country. Those attending include Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba; PK Mishra, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister; Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan; Dr VK Paul, the chief of the country’s Covid task force, according to news agency.
The meeting comes amid concern over the B.1.1.529 strain of the coronavirus, renamed Omicron by the World Health Organization, which has been red flagged for a number of mutations that might make it more resistant to vaccines, increase transmissibility and lead to more severe symptoms.
The variant – first detected in South Africa this week, and since reported from Botswana, Hong Kong, Israel, and Belgium – is believed to have 50 mutations, including over 30 on the spike protein and 10 on the receptor binding domain.
The spike protein is the target of most current COVID-19 vaccines and is what the virus uses to unlock access to our body’s cells. Researchers are still trying to confirm whether this makes it more transmissible or lethal than earlier variants, and if existing vaccines can protect against the strain.
Gujarat govt mandates RT-PCR testing for travellers landing at the airports in the state from Europe, UK, Brazil, South Africa, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong over the new variant concerns
121.06 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
Recovery Rate currently at 98.34%; Highest since March 2020
10,967 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to 3,39,88,797
8,318 new cases in the last 24 hours
India’s Active caseload stands at 1,07,019; lowest in 541 days
Active cases account for less than 1% of total cases, currently at 0.31%; Lowest since March 2020
Daily positivity rate (0.86%) less than 2% for last 54 days
Weekly Positivity Rate (0.88%) less than 1% for last 13 days
63.82 cr Total Tests conducted so far
