Omicron in India: International flights suspended till Jan 31, 6 latest updates
The Omicron Covid variant continues to cause more travel restrictions, but cases in India have begun to reduce. In view of the Omicron threat, India has decided to extend the suspension of international commercial flights till January 31, 2022.
Here are the updates on Omicron for December 10:
1. OMICRON PATIENT TESTS NEGATIVE ON 10TH DAY IN PUNE
The first case and until now the only patient in Pune who tested positive for the Omicron variant has tested negative. Assistant medical officer of Pune Municipal Corporation, Dr Sanjeev Wavare said, "First Omicron patient of Pune city has tested negative in his RT-PCR test and is all set to go home today."
First #Omicron patient of Pune city has tested negative in his RT-PCR test and is all set to go home today: Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant medical officer of Pune Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra #COVID19
— ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2021
2. ALL OMICRON PATIENTS TEST NEGATIVE IN RAJASTHAN
The health department in Rajasthan conducted RT-PCR tests on Omicron patients, out of which all 9 have now tested negative. Dr Sudhir Bhandari, principal and controller, SMS Medical College said, "All the nine persons who tested positive for Omicron variant are on path to recovery." All their other reports including blood tests and CT scans have also turned to be normal. The patients are now asymptomatic, but will have to quarantine for 7 days.
A woman who had come in contact with one of the Omicron-positive patients in Rajasthan has now tested positive for Covid-19 in Delhi. She is now being shifted to Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi.
Woman contact of #Omicron case in Rajasthan found COVID-19 positive in Delhi, being shifted to Lok Nayak Hospital: Officials
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 10, 2021
3. INDIA SUSPENDS INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS TILL JANUARY 31, 2022
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on December 9 that international commercial flights have been suspended till January 31, 2022. This announcment comes a few days after the Centre announced that India will not be resuming commercial international fligthts on December 15.
India to keep scheduled international passenger flights suspended till Jan 31: Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 9, 2021
4. ARRIVALS FROM UK TESTS COVID POSITIVE ON IN GOA
Goa State government reported that three passengers, including a 41-year-old British national travelling from UK, have tested positive for Covid on their arrival at Goa airport. They have all been isolated.
#Covid19 Update - GoaThis is with reference to flight AI 146 that arrived from UK today morning. 237 travellers tested on arrival.3 patients have been tested positive. (1/2)
— VishwajitRane (@visrane) December 10, 2021
5. 2 NEW OMICRON PATIENTS IN GUJARAT
On December 4, the first case of Omicron was registered in Gujarat. The person had arrived from South Africa. Now, the 72-year-old Omicron patient's wife has returned from South Africa, and his brother-in-law from Abu Dhabi, and both have tested Covid-positive. All three have been residing in the same house in Jamnagar. Gujarat now has 3 Omicron cases.
6. OMICRON VARIANT SPREADING FASTER IN UK THAN IN SOUTH AFRICA
As per senior scientific advisors, the new variant could be spreading 'even faster in England than in South Africa'. Prof John Edmunds, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has said that the new restrictions introduced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson were not an overreaction. Edmunds told the Royal Society of Medicine on December 9, that it is 'extremely likely' there are far more cases of the Omicron variant in the country than those being confirmed through testing.