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Omicron Variant 3 Times More Infectious Than Delta, Govt Declarers Threshold To Impose Restrictions

Within three weeks, the Omicron variant of the Corona has spread across seven states of India, on which the government of India has raised concerns.

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Omicron variant, the latest type of the corona has already started taking the world into its embrace. In the last few days alone, the new corona variant Omicron has shown a rapid spread in European countries. The virus is also spreading in India rapidly. Omicron has already infected about 200 people in India. Most of the patients are from Delhi and Maharashtra region.

Within three weeks, the Omicron variant of the Corona has spread across seven states of India, on which the government of India has raised concerns. The central government of India told the state governments that the Omicron variant is as transmissible as Delta. Additionally, the central government has released a list of preventive measures to curb the further spread of Omicron in the country. The list of preventions includes measures such as night curfew, limitations on social gatherings and broadening of vaccination drive across the country.

The Central government has asked the state and union territory authorities to get ready to prevent the unforeseen outbreak as the country has gone through earlier this year.

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According to a letter sent to the health departments of the states and union territories by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, “even more awareness, data analysis, proactive decision making, and strong and immediate containment strategies are recommended at the local as well as district levels.” The letter further made clear that the previous variant of Corona called Delta is still active in the country.

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Maharashtra and Delhi stand at the first position with 54 active Omicron variant patients followed by Telangana (20 cases), Karnataka (19), Rajasthan (18), Kerala (15) and Gujarat (14).

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Omicron Variant Containment Measures

Rajesh Bhushan, through his letter to the health departments, has set a threshold limit to being imposing restrictions. According to the threshold limits, states and union territories should impose restrictions if the rate of new cases crosses by 10 per cent or more in a timeframe of a week or 40 per cent of the oxygen or ICU bed gets occupied.

Given the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in India, Rajesh Bhushan allowed the union territories and states to implement the restrictions and containment measures even before exceeding the threshold set to impose the restrictions.

The War Rooms/EOCs (Emergency Operations Centers) should be launched, and they should keep on going to examine any trends and surges, regardless of how tiny, and to take preventative action at the district and local levels, Rajesh Bhushan suggested.

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Also Read: Omicron poses ‘very high’ global risk, the world must be prepared says WHO

The central government is insisting on expediting the vaccination drive to fully vaccinate the remaining eligible people. More than 88 per cent of the Indian residents have been totally vaccinated against Covid-19, and the central government want to push the number even further to make people immune against the Omicron virus. The government is also planning to initiate door-to-door cases searches and contact tracing of corona patients. Additionally, it has made upfront financial arrangements to expand medical infrastructure, which includes extra beds, ambulances, oxygen and other equipment.

The Omicron variant of Corona was first found in southern Africa in November month. The experts believe Omicron has a higher transmission rate. However, they are not yet sure if the latest variant of covid-19 has lesser or more severity than the previous variants of Corona. Most of the Omicron cases were found at the international airports in India that brought locals and foreigners to India from African countries and United Kingdom.

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Keep following Tech Heralds for the latest updates about Omicron!

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Have Omicron Symptoms But Test Showed Negative Result? Here’s An Explanation From Doctor

Dr. Harish Chafle states that Omicron symptoms could be divided into three categories, which are: the most prevalent, less common, and severe.

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Do you see or feel Omicron symptoms of Covid 19 in yourself? Also, have you gone through the Corona test, but the result came negative despite having visible signs of the virus infection?  Doctors have admitted the number of people returning with negative RT-PCR test results but have been suffering from the symptoms. Doctors have pointed out several reasons behind negative results while the person has Omicron symptoms.

According to Dr. Bharesh Dedhia, Chief Consultant, Critical Care at P. D. Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre of Khar Unit, inappropriate methods of conducting tests, uncleanliness, and negligence in sample collection and storage are responsible for incorrect test results.

Also Read: Kerala Covid Cases Increasing At Alarming Rate! TPR Raises Close To 50 Percent

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“RT-PCR test might return with a negative report for several Omicron variants, specifically the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) since we notice that the RAT’s precision is roughly 50 percent,” says the researcher “Dr. Bharesh Dedhia, while explaining the scenario.

My conclusion is that the fact that the viral load is relatively minimal. As a result, we have a term known as a CT value, also recognized as a cyclic threshold value. The CT score is deemed negative if it is more than 35, according to the International Commission on Medical Radiology (ICMR). Accordingly, if someone’s viral load is exceptionally modest, their cyclic threshold would be higher than 35, and the covid test would be considered negative. Furthermore, he points out that specific Omicron variants might come back with a negative result in RT-PCR tests.

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The bulk of RT-PCR tests confirms the presence of newly found variants of Covid. When the S gene drop is located in the RT-PCR test, the Omicron variation is most likely to be present, and when the S gene is found in the test, the Delta variant is most likely to be present. This is how the RT-PCR identifies the occurrence of the new mutation. Gene sequencing should be implemented to corroborate the findings, ” Dr. Dedhia describes in detail. To distinguish between two varieties of the Covid-19  virus, genome sequencing is used. The use of Genome sequencing helps to enhance the efficacy of treatment.

Also Read: New Feature On CoWIN Portal Allows To Add Up To 6 Beneficiaries Per Account, More Features Introduced too

If a patient has standard Covid signs and the RT PCR results are negative, they should isolate themselves for about seven days before getting medical care. The patient may also retest the home test and the RT PCR after the fifth or sixth day to see whether the results have changed and are positive or have remained negative throughout the isolation period.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States state the five most prevalent symptoms of the Omicron variant of Covid are cough, tiredness, congestion, runny nose, and widespread body pain.

Senior Consultant In Pulmonology and Critical Care  Dr. Harish Chafle states that Omicron symptoms could be divided into three categories, which are: the most prevalent, less common, and severe.

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The Most Prevalent Omicron Symptoms Are As Follows:

Temperature, coughing, fatigue, and a lack of smell or taste.

Less Prevalent Omicron Symptoms

Sore throat, fever, stiffness, headaches, diarrhea, redness on the skin, discoloration of fingers or toes, and red or inflamed eyes 

Severe Omicron Symptoms

Breathing difficulties or breathlessness, the inability of speaking or movement, disorientation, or chest discomfort

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Kerala Covid Cases Increasing At Alarming Rate! TPR Raises Close To 50 Percent

There has been a significant elevation in the Kerala covid cases during the last few days. As per the available data,  the state has 2,85,365 Covid patients currently undergoing treatment.

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Kerala Covid cases are increasing at an alarming rate. In the past 24 hours, the state has registered 55,475 occurrences of covid, pushing the state’s test positive rate to 49.9 percent, an increase from the previously recorded figure.  The TPR, the first time after several months, has reached close to 50 percent. The newly registered TPR clearly shows that one out of two individuals tested for the Covid-19 was diagnosed positive for the test.

Additionally, 70 related fatalities and 84 deaths were freshly recognized as Covid-19 fatalities as per the changed guidelines, bringing the total number of deaths in the state to 52,141. There has been a significant elevation in the Kerala covid cases during the last few days. As per the available data,  the state has 2,85,365 Covid patients currently undergoing treatment.

Breakdown Of Active Kerala Covid Cases

Kottayam – 3,672,  Kozhikode – 4,432,  Palakkad – 3,550,  Kasaragod – 1,728 Malappuram – 3,138, Idukki – 2,452,, Kannur – 2,578, Kollam – 4,452, Alappuzha – 2,561, Pathanamthitta – 2,311, and Wayanad – 1,070, and Thrissur – 5,520 people.

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Also Read: New Feature On CoWIN Portal Allows To Add Up To 6 Beneficiaries Per Account, More Features Introduced too

The Health Department of Kerala said that the covid test centers had collected 1,12,281 covid samples in the 24 hours. Out of them, 55,475 samples tested positive for the virus infection. The report available on the Kerala government’s covid portal also revealed that the test positivity rate has risen over 44 percent.

According to an official media statement of the health department of Kerala, there are 4,42,466 covid patients under supervision across the state, including 10,342 of them being kept in isolation wards at different hospitals. “At this moment, the active count of Kerala covid cases is 2,85,365, with just 3.8 percent of them admitted to hospitals,” according to the press statement. On Tuesday, the state confirmed 154 COVID-19-related fatalities, raising the total number of deaths to 52,141.

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Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister, urged state governments and union territories to increase covid testing in places where the active count has declined in recent times. Furthermore, Dr. Mansukh  Mandaviya advised authorities from the union territories and states to share Covid-19 testing and immunization statistics on a regular basis during a meeting with the authorities of these states and union territories A considerable number of patients are choosing for home isolation. So, the health minister instructed the state administration to monitor the infected people according to national rules closely.

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Statistics from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare show that India recorded 2,55,874 Covid-19 patients in the past 24 hours on Tuesday, decreasing the previous day’s total of 3,06,064 cases. The health ministry’s figures reveal that over 614 deaths occurred in the last 24 hours, pushing India’s covid death count to 4,90,462. The daily positivity rate is 15.52 percent, and the weekly positivity rate is 17.17 percent. The good news is that daily, and weekly TPR is lower than the previous count. On the other hand, the count of patients recovered from the covid infection rose to 3,70,71,898.   As many as  2,67,753 infected people recovered from the Covid-19 virus in the previous 24 hours.

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New Feature On CoWIN Portal Allows To Add Up To 6 Beneficiaries Per Account, More Features Introduced too

Users can raise an issue on the CoWIN portal to correct their vaccination status. Due to unintended data entry errors, while filling up vaccination beneficiary status, a few cases showed incorrect vaccination status, said the central government.

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CoWIN portal will now allow the addition of up to 6 beneficiaries in the registered using one mobile number. The central government of India announced its decision to extend the maximum number of beneficiaries to apply for receiving vaccination doses. Until now, the maximum number of applicants was capped at four per registered account.

Along with enlarging the number of beneficiaries, the central government of India has introduced some additional features on the COWIN portal. Newly added features on the portal will allow the users to change their vaccination status from fully vaccinated to partially vaccinated or not vaccinated and vice versa. Before the rollout of the vaccination status update feature, users could change their name, gender and year of birth on the CoWIN portal. 

Users can raise an issue on the CoWIN portal to correct their vaccination status. Due to unintended data entry errors, while filling up vaccination beneficiary status, a few cases showed incorrect vaccination status, said the central government.

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Also Read: Omicron Variant 3 Times More Infectious Than Delta

“Revoking the vaccination status may need three to seven days after posting the online request on the CoWIN portal using the raise an issue facility for the updates to take effect. After the revised vaccination status has been correctly updated in the system, such individuals may get their due vaccine dosage, at their closest vaccination centre, in accordance with the existing standard norms,” the central government added further.

Recently, the central government of India commenced a vaccination drive for below 18 children and administration of booster doses to older people at the same time. Meanwhile, the Union Government of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday that India’s gross Covid-19 vaccination coverage drive had crossed 160.43 crores after the administration of above 70 lakh jabs in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry.

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More than 159.91 crore vaccine shots have been distributed to union territories and states till now, mostly via free vaccination drive of the central government of India and the direct state procurement category of the state administrations. State and territorial governments have been receiving free Covid-19 vaccinations from the central government as part of a countrywide inoculation campaign, which has been supported by the state government as well. 

Also Read: Omicron poses ‘very high’ global risk, the world must be prepared

Procedure To Applying For Modifications On CoWIN Portal

Step 1. Log on to www.cowin.gov.in

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Step 2. Sign in to your account with the help of your 10-digit mobile number

Step 3. Type in your 6-digit One Time Password received on your mobile number.

Step 4. Verify the OTP to log into your account.

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Step 5. Navigate to your accounts details section

Step 6. If you are fully or partially vaccinated, there will be an option next to your vaccination status to raise an issue over your incorrect vaccination information.

Step 7. The system will ask you about the issue. Click on the error you want to get resolved.

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After that, the change request goes under review, which might get accepted between three to seven days. Once the mistakes are rectified, the users will be able to get an errorless vaccination certificate.

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