Manipur, Nov. 28 -- In the column, the author discusses the issues of a new variant called Omicron, the status of booster doses and children's vaccines in India and new COVID drugs.

Omicron: New Coronavirus Variant

A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa. The virus has also been found in Europe and Asia. WHO has classified it as a variant of concern (VOC) on Nov. 26 and countries across the globe are now worried whether the new variant would spread faster or cause more severe disease or evade antibodies from prior infections of vaccinations (The Mint, Nov. 27, 2021).

Why We Need to be Worried?

Early data indicate that the Omicron variant could possibly be more transmissible than the highly infectious Delta variant,...