COVID-19 Omicron: South Africa to Mumbai will be closely monitored
Mumbai:
The mayor of the city said today that genome sequencing of passengers arriving at Mumbai airport from South Africa, where a novel coronavirus variant is of interest, will be carried out if any are tested positive for COVID-19.
The genome is like a manual containing information about an organism’s makeup, and genome sequencing is a technique for reading and interpreting genetic information.
The move to sequence the genome amid worries about the new variant, known as Omicron, comes after several countries announced flight bans for visitors to South Africa.
“There are concerns in Mumbai about the new variant of the coronavirus. Genome sequencing of (positive) passengers arriving from South Africa will be carried out. There are no restrictions on outbound flights under But this decision was made based on past experience,” Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said today.
“The risk of getting COVID-19 is increasing in other countries, so people coming from abroad will have to have their genome checked,” Ms. Pednekar said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with top officials to review the COVID-19 situation and vaccination situation in the country this morning amid concerns about the strain of Omicron bacteria. The variant – first detected in South Africa this week, and since reported from Botswana, Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium – is thought to have 50 mutations, including more than 30 on the mutant protein variable and 10 on the receptor binding region.
The spike protein is the target of most current COVID-19 vaccines and is what the virus uses to unlock access to our body’s cells. Researchers are still trying to confirm whether this makes it more contagious or deadly than previous variants, and whether existing vaccines can protect against the strain. this virus or not.
Dutch health authorities said dozens of people who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa yesterday were likely infected with COVID-19 and that they are conducting further testing to see if people are infected with the Omicron variant. recently discovered or not, Reuters news agency reported.
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