New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has on Thursday officially confirmed two cases of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus in the country. As per the Health ministry's Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal, two men from Karnataka, aged 66 and 46, tested positive for the variant on Wednesday, and all the primary and secondary contacts of both cases have been traced and are being tested.
Agarwal further said that Omicron, since its detection in southern Africa on November 24, has spread to 30 countries, including India.
"As on December 1, 375, including two cases of India, cases of the Omicron variant have been found across the world. The new Omicron variant is possibly 500 per cent more competitively infectious and has more than two times the number of bad spike mutations than the Delta variant," he said, adding: "We should strictly continue to follow Covid appropriate behaviour as a counter measure to protect ourselves from Omicron variant too."
Meanwhile, on the issue, NITI Aayog Member Dr VK Paul said increased Covid-19 vaccine uptake is the need of the hour and asked people to not delay in getting fully vaccinated.
"Scientific reasoning for providing boosters at what timing, for which vaccine, all that is under examination. Currently, let's be very clear, our priority is very clear — complete the task of vaccinating all adults with both doses," Paul said.
The NITI Aayog member further added that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is being carefully examined and the government will take decisions about the ban on international flights, booster dose and paediatric vaccination on the basis of it.
The health ministry has been advising states and Union Territories to keep a strict vigil and undertake surveillance of international passengers coming to the country through various airports.
However, on the issue, ICMR DG Balram Bhargava said: "The cases of Omicron have been detected in Karnataka through the genome-sequencing effort of INSACOG consortium of 37 laboratories established by the health ministry. We need not panic, but awareness is absolutely essential."
Meanwhile, with 9,765 new infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,46,06,541, while the active cases increased to 99,763, according to the Union Health ministry data updated on Thursday.
The death toll climbed to 4,69,724 with 477 fresh fatalities including, 403 from Kerala, according to the data updated at 8 am.
The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 125.65 crore on Thursday, the ministry said.
According to the ministry, 84.3 per cent of the country's adult population have been administered the first dose of the vaccine, while 49 per cent have received the second dose.
More than 66 lakh (66,21,382) vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Pfizer is working on an updated jab in response to the Omicron variant that could be ready in 100 days, according to the head of American multinational pharmaceutical giant, who said that people may need to have annual Covid vaccinations for many years to come.
Pfizer's chief executive Dr Albert Bourla told the BBC that he is of the view that annual vaccinations would be needed to maintain a "very high level of protection" against the deadly disease that has claimed over five million lives across the world.
Bourla was speaking to the BBC before the emergence of the Omicron variant, first identified in South Africa and also before the announcement that the UK government had signed contracts to buy the 54 million additional Pfizer-BioNTech and 60 million Moderna doses for 2022 and 2023.
The company is now working on an updated jab in response to the Omicron variant that co