Centre to deploy teams to 10 states with high Omicron cases, low vaccination

Dec. 25: The centre will send teams to 10 states “which are either reporting increasing Omicron and COVID-19 cases or slow vaccination pace”. These 10 states are Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Mizoram, Karnataka, Bihar and Jharkhand. Out of these 10 states, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh Punjab and Uttar Pradesh – both are due to hold Assembly elections in two months.

The teams including specialists will be stationed in the states for the next three-five days, assessing the situation, suggesting remedial action, and submitting a report every evening by 7 pm. Also on the teams’ review checklist will be genome sequencing of samples to identify cases of the Omicron strain – which the World Health Organization has warned is significantly more transmissible than the Delta variant that triggered the second wave of infections in the country.

On the same day, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to states that pockets with low vaccination coverage may be more vulnerable to the new Omicron variant — and that the district administration must pay special attention to these pockets.