Amid the emergence and spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting to review the pandemic situation in the country on Thursday, said sources. Official sources said Modi will take stock of the pandemic situation across the country.
India has recorded 238 cases of the Omicron variant so far across 15 states and Union Territories. According to the Union Health Ministry, 90 of the infected people have either recovered or migrated.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government has banned mass gatherings during Christmas and New Year celebrations in a bid to curb further spread of the Omicron variant.
Also Read: Read your horoscope predictions to know what the stars have in store
The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday alerted States and Union Territories about the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, and said that based on current scientific evidence, Omicron is at least three times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
In the advisory, the Centre also asked states and union territories to step up scrutiny of Covid-19 infection trends and consider steps like night lockdowns. The Centre also suggested bans on large gatherings if more than 10% of all tests in a week turn positive or if the occupancy of hospital beds breaches 40% of capacity.
The ministry further added that greater foresight, data analysis, dynamic decision making and strict and prompt containment action is required at the local and district level.
(With inputs from agencies)
