Here are the latest updates on the new coronavirus variant:

  1. Tamil Nadu reported its first case of Omicron variant on Wednesday as a 47-year-old man who arrived from Nigeria tested positive, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said, according to PTI. Six of his family members have also tested positive. Earlier in the day, West Bengal also reported its first case of Omicron variant as a seven year-old boy tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus. Telangana too reported three new cases of the Omicron variant, reported The Times of India. With this the country’s tally of Omicron cases rose to 73, of which 32 infections have been detected in Maharashtra.
  2. Maharashtra reported four new cases of the Omicron variant, ANI reported, citing the state’s health department. Two of the newly-infected patients are from Osmanabad city, one from Mumbai and one from Buldhana. Meanwhile, Kerala also reported four more cases of Omicron, said state Health Minister Veena George, according to PTI.
  3. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the Omicron variant is expected to be the dominant strain in the 27-nation bloc by the middle of January, reported PTI. However, she said that 66.6% of Europeans had been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
  4. The head of vaccine alliance Gavi, which is leading the United Nations-backed push to get Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries, said that he was seeing seen early signs that rich countries are starting to withhold donations out of fear about the omicron variant, reported AP. Gavi Chief Executive Officer Dr Seth Berkley warned that any new hoarding could lead to “Inequity 2.0.”
  5. Opposition MPs in Parliament voiced concerns about the increase in cases of the Omicron variant and sought to know the government’s steps to vaccinate children and whether there were preparations for booster shots, reported The Indian Express. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the central government should review its stand on vaccinating minors. Trinamool Congress leader Sougata Ray appealed to the administration to start booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines immediately.
  6. Amid Omicron concerns, the Mumbai Police have extended restrictions put in place in the city and order under Section 144 banning all large gatherings in public spaces till December 31, reported NDTV. All employees of all shops and commercial establishments and customers visiting them should be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the order said. 
  7. All four new patients infected with the Omicron variant in Delhi are asymptomatic, said authorities at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, where they are admitted. The hospital’s Managing Director Dr Suresh Kumar told ANI that of the four, two had travelled from the United Kingdom and the other two were close contacts of the passengers.
  8. Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research Director Dr Rakesh Aggarwal said that the Omicron variant multiplies at a faster rate, but has not appeared to cause serious illness till now, ANI reported. “We need to be watchful and take precautions such as wearing masks, avoiding gatherings to prevent the spread of infection,” he said. 
  9. Cambodia has detected its first case of the Omicron variant in a local woman who had travelled from Ghana, reported Reuters. The Philippines too has found two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant. These are the first case in the Philippines.
  10. The Australian government opened its borders to completely vaccinated skilled migrants and foreign students after nearly a two-year ban on entries, reported Reuters. “We are going to live with virus, and we are not going to let it drag us back to where we’ve been,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told radio station 4BC.