COVID-19 Live Updates: Activate War Rooms, Omicron Three Times More Transmissible Than Delta, Centre Warns States

Omicron is spreading rapidly in India. According to the latest report, the country has already crossed the 200 mark. Follow TheHealthSite.com for all the latest updates on COVID-19 from around the world.

Amid a steady rise in the Omicron-driven cases in India, the centre has issued a fresh warning to the states saying that the new COVID-19 variant is "at least three times more transmissible than the previous variant Delta. The Centre has also directed the states to impose strict restrictions in districts that are currently reporting a surge in cases mainly associated with Omicron and Delta. The Centre warned the states to put restrictions on large gatherings, especially during Christmas and New Year.

Warning the state that a massive outbreak of cases may hit the country as early as the first week of January 2022, the Centre told the states to "active the war rooms" and keep analysing trends and the surges of the Omicron cases.

Omicron, the highly mutated COVID-19 strain was first identified in South Africa. The global health body, World Health Organisation (WHO) categorised this variant as a 'Variant of Concern' (VOC) on 24th November. The variant has over 50 worrisome mutations in its spike protein which makes it capable of evading vaccine-induced immunity. Follow TheHealthSite.com for all the latest updates on COVID-19 from around the world.