Christmas and New Year celebrations are being restricted in some states as nine out of 10 Omicron cases in India are among those fully vaccinated

• The Indian government studied 183 Omicron cases that have been reported in India.
• Seven out of every ten infected with Omicron have shown no symptoms.
• Six of every 10 infected have foreign travel history in the near past.
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These are some of the key takeaways from the Indian government’s study of the 183 Omicron cases that have been reported in India, across 17 cities/union territories Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and other cities, so far.

Firstly, 91% of the cases are among those fully vaccinated but it is not severe. So much so that seven out of every ten infected with Omicron have shown no symptoms.

Secondly, six of every 10 infected have foreign travel history in the near past. The development comes as the world is witnessing the forth surge in Covid-19 cases and the overall positivity rate is 6.1%.

Third, the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan warned that omicron spreads much faster ⁠— number of cases doubling anywhere between 1.5 to 3 days ⁠— than the delta variant ⁠and urged the people to “not to lower their guard”.

An earlier study by researchers at IIT Kanpur had earlier warned that the peak of the next wave of COVID-19 infections is likely to be February 2022. However, the forecast is based on the assumption that India will follow the trend of rise in cases seen in many countries globally.

The positivity rate i.e. number of tests that show up to be positive for COVID-19 infections in Kerala and Mizoram are much higher than national average.

Some states have already issued guidelines ahead of the Christmas weekend and the new year celebrations. The government of Odisha has said that not more than 50 people can join any Christmas mass and the pandemic protocols must be strictly adhered to. New Year celebrations in hotels, clubs, and parks have been completely banned, the state Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra reportedly said.

Meanwhile, the government of Haryana has prohibited people’s entry into restaurants and malls if they are not fully vaccinated. Uttar Pradesh, on the other hand, has once again imposed night curfew once again.

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