Covid case update: India reports 9,216 new cases

India has reported 9,216 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total number of active cases in the country is currently 99,976. So far, the Nationwide Vaccination Drive has administered about 125 crore vaccine doses.

The rapid spread of the new Omicron variety around the globe is causing dread and anxiety among countries and governments alike. According to news agency PTI, the omicron version of COVID-19, which had not been detected in the US until the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by the end of Thursday. This paints a clear picture of how virus mutations can readily travel their way across any environment. Two South African travellers were also tested “preliminarily positive” for the Omicron version of COVID-19 after arriving in Singapore, according to the Singapore Ministry of Health.

All primary and secondary contacts of both Omicron-positive patients have been traced and are being tested, according to the health ministry’s joint secretary Lav Agarwal. Both patients are males in their sixties, ages 66 and 46, with modest symptoms. He went on to say that no severe symptoms had been observed.

Despite the uproar surrounding Omicron, experts have advised people to remain calm and take adequate precautions to avoid the new form. New varieties will continue to emerge, according to Dr. Ashok Seth, Executive Director of the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, but the key is to remain cool and not worry. “If we’re properly vaccinated and follow COVID guidelines, we can protect ourselves from any variety,” he told news agency ANI.