With four more cases of the Omicron variant being reported in Kerala on Wednesday, the total number of patients with the new Kovid variant rose to five.
The two infected include the wife and mother-in-law of the state’s first Omicron patient, who was confirmed on December 2. The other two cases are for a 35-year-old man in Thiruvananthapuram who had returned from Congo and a 22-year-old man. Ernakulam native woman who returned from UK.
According to officials, the health condition of the four patients is satisfactory and there is no need to panic. The contacts of all the patients have been identified and the flight and passenger details of the new cases have been traced.
It may be recalled that medical experts have cautioned the government to increase the number of genome sequencing of patients in view of the rapid spread of the omicron variant in various countries. Kerala is one of the few states that are going for regular genetic sequencing studies.
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Indu PS, Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Kollam stressed the need for an intensive campaign for vaccination in the state. Mortality statistics say that the majority have not been vaccinated or have been partially vaccinated. The state will have to be more cautious with the Omicron version as many infected countries have high levels of success infection or re-infection. But the severity is less in the vaccinated population.
As far as Kerala is concerned, Indu reported that vaccination coverage is good with 97 per cent of the population receiving both the single dose and 70 per cent receiving both the doses.
As of now, as far as the Omicron variant of Kerala is concerned, there is no cause for concern as the positivity rate is actually at a comfortable level. However, there is a need to take extra care of people by avoiding clusters or overcrowding, wearing masks, prioritizing open spaces for tasks and other activities, and social distancing from getting infected.
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The Omicron variant is spreading rapidly and will be a cause for concern when the R-number goes above 1. If it is below one, it can be assumed that the epidemic is under control. However, it should be remembered that the R number in the UK is above 3, she said.
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