Omicron cases found in India; Centre says don't panic. Here's why

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday confirmed that two cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Karnataka. However, the government urged people not to panic and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated without delay.

On Friday, the Centre said it anticipates the severity of the Omicron variant of coronavirus to be low in the country given the fast pace of vaccination and high exposure to the Delta variant.

The health ministry, however, said the scientific evidence for the expected severity of the disease is still evolving, as debates about the booster jabs heat up and several states ramp up testing and step up surveillance for the potentially more contagious variant.

The ministry also noted there is no evidence to suggest that existing vaccines do not work on the new variant that was reported by South Africa to the World Health Organisation(WHO) on November 24.