Health
Omicron variant: What is genomic testing? Here’s what you need to know
The new Covid-19, Omicron has made world leaders anxious over its highly transmissible behaviour.

The new Covid-19, Omicron has made world leaders anxious over its highly transmissible behaviour. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared B.1.1.529 as the variant of concern.
As per the WHO findings, there may be an increased risk of reinfection as compared to other variants of concern. The WHO has advised countries to roll out effective public health measures to restrain the spread of Omicron’s variant and said that it is unclear whether it is more contagious as compared to other variants including the highly-transmissible prevalent Delta variant.
The deadly variant was first detected in South Africa and not has spread in several other countries including Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Switzerland, and the UK.
Several countries including India has implemented strict travel rules amid the spread of the Omicron variant. Passengers coming to India from at-risk countries are required to mandatorily undergo COVID-19 testing at the airport upon arrival. The travellers will also require to upload negative RT-PCR test reports on the Air Suvidha portal before travelling.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of South African, currently, there are no unusual symptoms have been reported following the B.1.1.529 infection.
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To curb this highly-transmissible variant, urgent genomic testing is being carried out in several countries for the passengers who are flying from South Africa.
What is genomic testing?
Whole-genome testing is a laboratory procedure that determines the order of bases in the genome of an organism in one process, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The genome of an organism is made up of DNA and each organism has a unique DNA sequence that is composed of bases A, T, C, and G.
The testing provides more detailed data for identifying outbreaks as compared to other techniques.
Health
India records 1,300 fresh Covid cases, highest in past 140 days
The number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has surged to 7,605 as India registered 1,300 fresh cases of the coronavirus, the highest in the past 140 days, as per updated data available on the Union Health Ministry website today.

The number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has surged to 7,605 as India registered 1,300 fresh cases of the coronavirus, the highest in the past 140 days, as per updated data available on the Union Health Ministry website today.
According to the Union Health Ministry’s data updated today at 8 am, the daily positivity was recorded at 1.46 per cent while the weekly positivity was logged at 1.08 per cent.
The data revealed that the number of cases in the country since the pandemic’s outbreak is tallied at 4.46 crore (4,46,99, 418), while the death toll has increased to 5,30,816 with three more deaths—one each from Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra—attributed to the deadly virus.
As per the health ministry’s date, the active cases now comprise 0.02 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.79 per cent.
Further numbers from the health ministry’s data reveal that a total of 92.06 crore tests for detection of Covid have been conducted so far with 89,078 tests being conducted in the last 24 hours.
According to the data posted on the health ministry’s website, 4,41,60,997 people have successfully recuperated from the deadly virus while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
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The data also reveals that 220.65 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
Meanwhile, the surge in deaths due to the H3N2 variant of the seasonal influenza virus is triggering an outbreak scare in the country.
According to official data, India has recorded at least three deaths associated with H3N2 this season.
Fearing the outbreak of another Covid-19 like pandemic, health officials have urged people to wear masks, practice hand hygiene and get a flu shot if they haven’t already. H3N2, is a subtype of the influenza A strain, responsible for one of the three respiratory pandemics in the past century.
The flu variant’s symptoms tend to be the same as other forms of influenza, including fever or feeling feverish, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults), among others
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India records 1,134 new Covid cases
Over 7,000 coronavirus cases are currently active in India after the country recorded 1,134 fresh cases of the Covid-19 virus, the Union Health Ministry informed on Wednesday.

Over 7,000 coronavirus cases are currently active in India after the country recorded 1,134 fresh cases of the Covid-19 virus, the Union Health Ministry informed on Wednesday.
According to the updated data on the Health Ministry’s website, the number of active cases in the country increased to 7,026 with five more deaths reported due to the Covid-19 infections raising the death toll to 5,30,813.
One death each has been reported from Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra and one reconciled by Kerala, while the tally of total number of Covid cases since the viral outbreak has reached 4.46 crore (4,46,98,118), as per the health ministry’s data.
As per the data, the daily positivity was recorded at 1.09 per cent while the weekly positivity was pegged at 0.98 per cent, adding that the active cases now comprise 0.02 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.79 per cent.
Further numbers from the health ministry’s data reveal that a total of 92.05 crore tests for detection of Covid have been conducted so far with 1,03,831 being tests conducted in the last 24 hours.
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According to the data posted on the health ministry’s website, 4,41,60,279 people have successfully recuperated from the deadly virus while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
The data also reveals that 220.65 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
Meanwhile, the surge in deaths due to the H3N2 variant of the seasonal influenza virus is triggering an outbreak scare in the country.
According to official data, India has recorded at least three deaths associated with H3N2 this season.
Fearing the outbreak of another Covid-19 like pandemic, health officials have urged people to wear masks, practice hand hygiene and get a flu shot if they haven’t already. H3N2, is a subtype of the influenza A strain, responsible for one of the three respiratory pandemics in the past century.
The flu variant’s symptoms tend to be the same as other forms of influenza, including fever or feeling feverish, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults), among others.
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Health
Gujarat woman dies of flu-like symptoms triggering H3N2 scare
An elderly woman passed away due to a flu-like disease in Gujarat’s Vadodara city triggering a H3N2 scare as officials suspected that she may have died due to the dangerous variant of the seasonal influenza virus.

An elderly woman passed away due to a flu-like disease in Gujarat’s Vadodara city triggering a H3N2 scare as officials suspected that she may have died due to the dangerous variant of the seasonal influenza virus.
According to officials, the 58-year-old woman was shifted to Sir Sayajirao General (SSG) Hospital on March 11 from a private medical facility where she passed away on March 13.
Resident Medical Officer (RMO), SSG Hospital, D K Helaya shot down any preliminary assumptions that the H3N2 virus might have caused the woman’s death, saying that they’ve sent the samples for testing and the exact cause of death will be ascertained by a review committee.
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The deceased woman was a resident of Fatehgunj area in Vadodara.
Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel revealed last week that three cases of seasonal influenza subtype H3N2 have been reported in the state so far this year. Patel said that a total of 80 cases of seasonal flu were reported in Gujarat till March 10, out of which 77 are influenza of H1N1 and three of H3N2 subtypes.
However, the minister said, that no deaths due to the H3N2 variant have been reported in the state so far this year.
According to official data, India has recorded at least three deaths associated with H3N2 this season.
Fearing the outbreak of another Covid-19 like pandemic, health officials have urged people to wear masks, practice hand hygiene and get a flu shot if they haven’t already. H3N2, is a subtype of the influenza A strain, responsible for one of the three respiratory pandemics in the past century.
The flu variant’s symptoms tend to be the same as other forms of influenza, including fever or feeling feverish, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults), among others.
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