Omicron Coronavirus Cases News Highlights 13 December 2021: 2 more Omicron cases in Maha; India tally 40

Coronavirus in Kerala: Kerala reports 2434 new COVID19 cases, 4308 recoveries and 38 deaths in the last 24 hours - 165 deaths were added to covid death list as per the new guidelines of the central government

Death toll 43,170

Active cases 36,281

Coronavirus in Assam: Assam reports 141 new Covid 19 cases, 170 recoveries and zero deaths in the last 24 hours

South Africans urge jabs as president ill in omicron wave

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has postponed getting a booster shot of a Covid-19 vaccine because he has tested positive for the disease and is recuperating from mild symptoms, his office announced Monday. Ramaphosa is receiving medical treatment for his symptoms and is self-isolating in Cape Town, according to his office.

Gujarat reports 58 Covid-19 cases, tally rises to 8,28,191

Gujarat reported 58 Covid-19 cases on Monday, raising its tally to 8,28,191, while one death, in Valsad, took the toll to 10,099, an official said. The number of people discharged during the day was 56, after which the overall recovery count mounted to 8,17,543, leaving Gujarat with an active tally of 549, including five critical patients, he said.

Omicron to be dominant variant in London in next 48 hours: health minister

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading swiftly and will become the dominant variant in the British capital in the next 48 hours, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday. "No variant of Covid-19 has spread this fast," Javid told parliament. "While Omicron represents over 20 percent of cases in England, we've already seen it rise to over 44% in London and we expect it to become the dominant Covid-19 variant in the capital in the next 48 hours."

UK records 54,661 Covid-19 cases, 38 deaths

Mizoram reports 81 new Covid-19 cases, five deaths

Mizoram on Monday reported 81 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest single-day spike in several months, taking the state's tally to 1,38,293, a health department official said.

Cyprus OKs Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged 5-11, reports AP

Coronavirus Live Updates: IIT Delhi researchers develop RT-PCR based assay for detection of Omicron variant within 90 minutes

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi have developed an RT-PCR based assay for the specific detection of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 within 90 minutes, according to officials. Currently, the identification or screening for Omicron is done worldwide using next-generation sequencing-based methods which require over three days. The institute has filed an Indian patent application for the rapid screening assay developed by its Kusuma School of Biological Sciences and is in process of initiating talks with potential industry partners. "The assay is based on detecting specific mutations which are present in the Omicron variant and absent in other currently circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2. Primer sets targeting these unique mutations in the S gene were designed for the specific amplification of either the Omicron variant or other currently circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 and tested using real time PCR," a senior IIT Delhi official said. "Using synthetic DNA fragments, the assays were optimised to distinguish the wild-type from the Omicron variant in a dynamic range. Currently, the identification or screening for Omicron is done worldwide using next-generation sequencing based methods, which require over 3 days. By using this RT-PCR based assay, it will be possible to test for the presence of the Omicron variant within 90 minutes," the official added. IIT Delhi was the first academic institute in India to have obtained ICMR approval for a real-time PCR-based diagnostic assay. The institute developed a method to detect COVID-19 which significantly reduced the cost of testing, making it affordable for a large population in the country. Following approval from the ICMR, the kit was successfully launched in the market. (PTI)

Canada to test fully vaccinated international arrivals; quarantine till result comes