New Delhi | 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. “The XE variant is a combination or recombinant of both sub-variants – BA.1 and BA.2 – of Omicron. “No […]
Tag: Omicron
Israel detects combination of Omicron BA.1 & BA.2 sub-variants
Jerusalem | Israel’s Health Ministry has announced two cases of a previously unknown coronavirus variant that are thought to be a combination of the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants. According to the Ministry, the cases were discovered during routine PCR testing performed at the Ben-Gurion International Airport for all passengers entering the country, the Jerusalem Post […]
More contagious version of Omicron spreads in US: Report
Washington | Infectious disease experts are keeping a close eye on an even more contagious version of the Omicron variant spreading in the US, fuelling concerns that the country may not return to normal, said a media report. The virus, known as BA.2, is a strain of the highly contagious Omicron variant that appears to spread […]
World has seen 500,000 Covid deaths since Omicron: Report
Washington | The world has seen half a million Covid deaths around the world since the omicron variant of the coronavirus was first detected in November, the media reported. Although considered milder than other Covid variants, Omicron has infected so many people that it has driven the number of daily deaths beyond where it was last […]
BA.2 sub variant more contagious, evades vaccine protection: Study
London | The BA.2 Omicron subvariant is inherently more contagious than the original BA.1 strain among both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, according to a Danish study. The yet to be peer-reviewed study revealed fully vaccinated people are more likely to catch BA.2 than the previous strain, but they are less likely to spread it to […]
BA.2 is 1.5 times more transmissible than original Omicron strain: Study
London | The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron is 1.5 times more transmissible than the original Omicron strain, according to a study led by Danish researchers. Omicron, which is also referred to as B.1.1.529, has three main substrains, BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Researchers at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut (SSI) found […]
Omicron sub-variant BA.2 gradually increasing in India: Centre
New Delhi | The prevalence of Omicron sub-lineage BA.2 is gradually increasing in India, said Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), here on Thursday. Addressing a Health Ministry press briefing, Singh said that Omicron sub-variant BA.2 is more prevalent in comparison to the BA.1 variant in India now, adding that the BA.3 […]
Omicron can survive 8 days on plastic, 21 hours on skin: Study
Tokyo | The highly contagious Omicron variant of Covid-19 can survive upto eight days on plastic and 21 hours on skin — a much longer period of time than other variants of concern like Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta, as well as the original strain, according to a study. The study posted on pre-print, and […]
‘Omicron in community transmission stage in India’
New Delhi | The new Covid variant Omicron has reached in community transmission level in India, said Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) on Sunday. “Omicron is now in community transmission stage in India and has become dominant in multiple metros, where new cases have been rising exponentially”, said INSACOG in its recent bulletin published […]
Omicron patients below 60 years can take paracetamol: Expert
New Delhi | 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. In the latest episode of online show Health4All by Heal Foundation, Joshi, an endocrinologist at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, said that […]