Live Blog: All about the new coronavirus variant found in South Africa

Eight out of 10 samples of COVID-19 positive persons who arrived in Kerala from high-risk countries have tested negative for the Omicron variant, state Health Minister Veena George said on Tuesday. Results of two samples are awaited. The sample of a person who arrived at Kozhikode from a high-risk country and tested positive for COVID-19 has been sent for testing.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has warned about a severe third wave. IMA's warning comes at a time when cases of Omicron have multiplied in the country in less than a week. It is said to be the most heavily mutated strain of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

The first Omicron case in the national capital Delhi was confirmed on Sunday. The 37-year-old patient had returned from Tanzania a few days ago. He is currently admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital. He is fully vaccinated and has shown mild symptoms, officials said.

The man had arrived in Gujarat from Zimbabwe on November 28 and had tested positive for coronavirus on December 2, after which his sample was sent for genome sequencing. The man, who hails from Jamnagar, has been living in Zimbabwe for the last many years. He had arrived in the state to meet his father-in-law.

A 72-year-old man has been found infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Jamnagar city of Gujarat, days after he arrived in the state from Zimbabwe, the health department said on Saturday. This is the third case of Omicron in the country as two persons were earlier found infected with this strain in Karnataka.

Around 3 lakh people have not received even one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Madurai, as per District Collector Aneesh Sekhar. A week's time has been given to such people to get at least one dose of the vaccine. If they fail to comply with the order, their entry will be banned in public places such as hotels, shopping malls & other commercial establishments.

The Karnataka government has announced that only fully vaccinated people will now be allowed to enter malls, cinema halls, or theaters. Parents of school or college-going students also need to take both doses. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had chaired a meeting in this regard on Friday.

As per reports, eight Omicron suspects were admitted to Delhi’s LNJP hospital on Thursday, while four were admitted today. "Four suspects have been admitted today, out of which, two have tested COVID-19 positive while the test results for the other two are awaited," sources said. Two of these have come from the UK, one from France and one from the Netherlands.

India has reported its first two cases of the Omicron variant. Two people in Karnataka, aged 46 and 66, have tested positive for the variant. Everyone who came in contact with them are being tested.

The US has confirmed its first case of Omicron. The infected person had returned from South Africa on November 22 and tested positive on November 29. The concerned person was fully vaccinated but had not received any booster dose.

Scientists in South Africa warned it is too early to conclude the Omicron variant will only cause mild illness. The actual impact of Omicron is hard to determine at this point because it has so far mostly affected young people who generally have stronger immunity, scientists said.

Fresh rules for international travelers in view of the Omicron variant of coronavirus come into effect from Wednesday (December 1). Testing at airports across India has been made mandatory for travelers coming from dozens of "at-risk" nations while those arriving from other countries will undergo random testing.

Passengers flying in from countries where Omicron has been found will reportedly have to spend up to six hours at the Delhi airport while they wait for their RT-PCR tests.

The company handling RT-PCR tests can process 400-500 tests an hour. Testing facilities will be ramped up in the coming days.

The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday extended the existing coronavirus disease guidelines till December 31. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan asked states and UTs to ensure adequate infrastructure and supervised home isolation. He further stated that the new variant doesn't escape RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan issued an order directing states to follow rigorous screening and testing of all passengers coming from at-risk countries. The states have also been ordered to send all COVID-19 positive samples to Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG)’s genome sequencing labs.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed in Rajya Sabha today that there are no cases of Omicron in India as of now. “But in view of it, we have issued an advisory and if there is any suspicious case we are doing genome sequencing,” he said.

Fourteen people who recently returned from abroad in the Dehradun district have been put in home isolation for 14 days. Their samples have been sent for RT-PCR testing. Six of them have returned from South Africa, the Chief Medical Officer said.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the state cabinet has expressed concerns about passengers arriving from at-risk countries. “Why should we not ban all flights from at-risk countries? We should request the Central government for this. Cabinet has demanded this. A final decision will be taken in the next few days,” he said.