India is on high alert as the number of countries reporting a rise in cases of Omicron, the highly transmissible new COVID-19 strain, has increased. No cases of the new strain have been reported in India.
New Delhi, December 1: India is on high alert as the number of countries reporting a rise in cases of Omicron, the highly transmissible new COVID-19 strain, has increased.COVID-19 has been detected in passengers traveling from high-risk countries, but no Omicron cases have been reported in India.Dr. Naveen Dang, the director of Dr Dangs Lab, explains why the Omicron variant, which includes many of the same mutations as the other variants, is different from other VoC variants.Different variants indicate that there have been mutations in one or more of the genes.
Dr Dang said that this is what distinguishes it from the other COVID virus mutations that have occurred in the last two years, and that the missing S-gene is one of the markers for detecting and ultimately diagnosing the potentially more aggressive variant of concern, Omicron.The S-Gene dropout, or as we say, is one of the proxy indicators to (ascertain) whether or not it is the Omicron variant.However, it is not necessarily the case that the ultimate diagnostic tool for gene mutation is distinct.So, if a patient is said to be infected with Omicron, the best test is to determine the disease but also for the mutations that are called gene sequencing. The most common RT-PCR kits being used would be able to detect positive or negative results, but would not be able to tell if the positive result is due to a mutation in the S gene.When we perform experiments, the majority of them test a large number of genes.The E, N, and Rd Rp genes are now being tested in India.We can (identify) they had COVID-19 in any case if one of these genes (identifies as) positive. However, we can assume that this is a S-gene deletion or S-gene failure unless we have a test in which multiple genes are present in the SG and that one of the genes included in the SG is present and that the test finds positive for all of the genes but negative for S-gene.If that did happen, we can say by proxy that this is an Omicron and that such samples should be on a priority basis.We request for gene sequencing studies.Because Omicron was only recently detected, only it can see if it is the correct one.Ditto, it is also unknown how the strain is spreading and transmission has been documented, and it is too early to predict how it would be transmitted or spread. It is also too early to predict how bad the virus will be.Different kinds of results are coming in, and everyone is trying to figure out where we are and where we are going, according to Dr Dang.Dr Dang described the initiative as a precautionary measure, focusing on maximum vaccinations and, if required, an additional booster dose to fight COVID-19.He also advocated for responsible conduct with COVID, but unfortunately, a great deal of us have lowered our guards.Those guards must be reactivated. And, of course, the most important thing is to vaccinate as many of our population as possible, both in terms of doses and when it is necessary.Dr Dang said that a booster could be involved.