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COVID-19 Live Updates: Booster Shots Necessary To Fight Omicron Variant In India, Says Top Virologist

Follow TheHealthSite.com to get all the updates related to COVID-19 and its new variant Omicron from in and around the country.

The new Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been detected in more than 63 countries around the world, including India. The variant is concerning as it carries a large number of mutations, 50 in all, with 32 in the spike protein, which experts say makes it significantly more transmissible than the Delta variant. So far, nearly 3000 Omicron cases have been detected worldwide. In India there are reportedly 32 cases of the highly mutated variant, 17 in Maharashtra.

Talking about the rising Omicron cases in India, Dr. Shahid Jameel, Director, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, on Friday suggested that accelerating Covid-19 vaccination coverage as well as booster doses may be necessary to counter the new variant. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the University.

The top virologist added that the possibility of returning to a life similar to pre-pandemic "now seems distant" with the the Omicron variant spreading rapidly globally.

Gautam Menon, Professor of Physics and Biology at the varsity, also echoed the same concerns. He noted that booster shots may be necessary, at least initially for frontline health care workers, elderly people who are 60 years of age and those who are immunocompromised.