Amid the rising concerns of the new COVID-19 variant 'Omicron', India has issued new guidelines for the international passengers arriving in India, after some countries reported the cases of this variant. The Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), a new variant of the coronavirus, was first reported in Botswana on November 11, 2021, and appeared on November 14 in South Africa.
The Centre listed around 12 countries under 'high risk' category. The Omicron Variant of COVID-19 doesn't escape RT-PCR and RAT tests. The States have been advised to ramp up testing for early identification of positive cases, and early management, said sources from Centre.
The World Health Organisation has said that the overall global risk related to the new Covid Variant of Concern Omicron is assessed as very high. The global health body said that Omicron is a highly divergent variant with a high number of mutations, including 26-32 in the spike, some of which are concerning and may be associated with immune escape potential and higher transmissibility. However, there are still considerable uncertainties, added the global health body.