Omicron Coronavirus LIVE: Citing decline in mask use, Covid task force leader warns: “We are in a dangerous area”

Puseletso Lesofi, prepares to sequence COVID-19 omicron samples at the Ndlovu Research Center in Elandsdoorn, South Africa on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. The center is part of the South Africa Genomic Surveillance Network, which has discovered the omicron variant. (AP Photo / Jerome Delay)

Amid fears of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, the results of the fifth genome sequencing conducted by Kasturba Gandhi Hospital have been a relief for Mumbai. Of the city’s 221 samples tested, only two were identified with the Omicron variant on Thursday. The others tested positive for the Delta variant and the Delta derivatives.

According to the data, the BMC performed genome sequencing of 277 samples from Covid-19 patients. Of these, while 221 patients were from Mumbai, the rest were from out of town. Of the 277, 24 (11%) were infected with the Delta variant and 195 (89%) with Delta derivatives – sublines of the Delta variant. This indicates that Delta derivatives dominate over Delta variants.

Thirteen passengers who arrived from “at risk” and “without risk” countries in Tamil Nadu so far have tested positive for Covid-19 and their RTPCR samples have been sent to Bengaluru for genomic sequencing analysis, the minister said on Thursday. from Tamil Nadu, Ma Subramanian.

The Minister of Health and Family Welfare said that 9,012 people had so far arrived from “at risk” countries of which 11 have tested positive for Covid-19 while 33,112 people have arrived from “no” countries. at risk ”, two of which tested positive.

Britain on Thursday pleaded with people to obey tighter restrictions to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant after revelations about alleged lockdown parties at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s residence sparked an uproar against hypocrisy. Johnson imposed restrictions on England on Wednesday, just hours after apologizing for a video showing staff laughing at a party in Downing Street during a 2020 Christmas COVID lockdown when such festivities were banned at population.