New guidelines amid Covid-19’s Omicron variant by UP Government

In wake of the detection of Covid-19’s Omicron variant in other states, the Yogi Aditynatah-led Uttar Pradesh government has issued guidelines for all the districts to tackle the new strain.

According to the guidelines issued on Monday, RT-PCR test on all the passengers coming to the state along with genome sequencing of all the infected patients is being carried out, reported news agency PTI.

As Omicron cases have come to light from neighbouring Delhi, the administration in Uttar Pradesh is also ensuring strict vigil on the borders.

A statement issued by the state government said the emphasis is also being made to further improve the health facilities in rural and urban areas, reported PTI.

In the state’s Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs), 19,000 beds are being increased and 55,000 beds in medical colleges, PTI quoted the statement as saying.

Apart from ordering senior officials that proper arrangements be made in hospitals to deal with the new variant, the state government is also keeping a close watch on availability of oxygen, beds, laboratories, according to the statement.

As of Tuesday, India’s Omicron stood at 23 after two more people were found to be infected with Omicron variant in Maharashtra’s capital Mumbai. Cases have come to light from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and Delhi as well.

The first cases of the variant were reported from Bengaluru last week.

The Omicron variant was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa late last month.

As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year. The world health body has classified Omicron as a ‘variant of concern’.