Omicron scare: Bengaluru to achieve 100 pc COVID vaccination soon

Bengaluru: District Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban J Manjunath on Tuesday urged people not to panic about the Omicron varient and said that the district is going to achieve 100 percent second dose COVID vaccination soon.

“Omicron cases are rising but not at an alarming rate as we witness during the Delta outbreak. Nevertheless, the number of tests is going up and there is no need to panic,” Manjunath was quoted speaking to ANI.

“The district is going to achieve 100 percent second dose vaccination in a day or two,” he added.

Meanwhile, in view of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that the new year celebrations at public places will take place in a restricted manner, with celebrations allowed in restaurants and clubs with 50 per cent seating capacity and mandatory full vaccination.

No special events, Disk Jockeys (DJ) will be allowed in the celebrations. The restrictions will be in effect from December 30 till January 2.
India has so far recorded 200 cases of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.

The new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25. As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year.

On November 26, the WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as ‘Omicron’. The WHO has classified Omicron as a ‘variant of concern’.

(With inputs from ANI)