Omicron: Severity of new variant in India could be low, says health ministry

The Union health ministry on Friday said that the severity of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in India could be low because of the pace of vaccination in the country.

Two cases of Omicron were detected in India on Thursday. The strain has been designated as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization.

On Friday, the health ministry released a statement to address the frequently asked questions about Omicron – like the effectiveness of the vaccine against the new strain and the third wave.

Here are some queries addressed by the ministry:

Will there be a third wave in India because of the Omicron variant?

The health ministry said that given Omicron’s characteristics, it is likely to spread to more countries, including India. “However, the scale and magnitude of the rise in cases and most importantly the severity of disease that will be caused is still not clear,” it said.

Will the existing vaccines work against the Omicron strain?

There is no evidence to suggest that the existing vaccines do not work on Omicron variant, the ministry said. It added that the vaccines are expected to offer protection against severe disease.

“Vaccination with available vaccines is crucial,” the health ministry said. “If eligible, but not vaccinated, one should get vaccinated.”

What precautions should people take?

The health officials said that…

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