'Omicron is not common cold', NITI Aayog's VK Paul warns amid spike

"Omicron is not a common cold, it is society`s responsibility to slow it down with vaccination and masks," NITI Aayog’s Member, Health, Dr VK Paul said.

Representational image (Reuters)

New Delhi: With India witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases which is believed to be driven by the Omicron variant, NITI Aayog’s Member, Health, Dr VK Paul warned on Wednesday (January 12) that the new variant is “not a common cold", adding that it should not be underestimated. 

"Omicron is not a common cold, it is society`s responsibility to slow it down with vaccination and masks," IANS quoted Paul as saying. He said that we are seeing less hospitalisation because of mass vaccination against the coronavirus. "Vaccination is a critical pillar of India`s Covid-19 response. Let`s Mask Up and get vaccinated, whoever is due. It`s fact that the vaccines are helpful to an extent," he said. 

Earlier, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had cautioned against categorising the Omicron variant as “mild”. "Last week, the highest number of COVID-19 cases were reported so far in the pandemic...while Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as "mild",” WHO chief had said. 

Meanwhile, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) director general Balram Bhargava said that all symptomatic people need to be tested for Covid-19 including all high-risk case contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases. Asymptomatic individuals are not required to get tested unless they are at high risk, he added. 

India logged 1,94,720 new coronavirus cases and 442 deaths, while the Omicron tally rose to 4,868, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. 

The health ministry said today that nearly 300 districts in India have been reporting a positivity rate higher than 5 per cent on a weekly basis. Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry said that Maharashtra, West Bengal,  Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Gujarat are states of concern with high infections. 

(With agency inputs)