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Google mandates weekly COVID-19 tests for people entering U.S. offices
San Francisco: As Omicron-triggered COVID infections surge globally especially in the US, Google has said it will now require fully-vaccinated workers who are coming to offices to get weekly COVID tests.
Google will require anyone going to one of its US offices or facilities to have received a negative molecular test for COVID-19, reports CNBC citing an internal memo sent to employees.
The employees should also report their vaccination status and wear surgical-grade masks while at the office.
“Anyone accessing our sites in the US are expected to obtain a recent negative Covid-19 molecular test before coming onsite,” said the company.
Google offers free at-home testing to full-time employees.
The company also offers contract workers free RT-PCR-based nasal swab tests.
Last month, Google reportedly told employees that they will lose pay — and will eventually be fired — if they do not comply with the company’s Covid-19 vaccination policy.
Employees who did not comply with the vaccination rules by the January 18 deadline will be placed on “paid administrative leave” for 30 days. After that, the company will put them on “unpaid personal leave” for up to six months, followed by termination.
While much of the tech industry continues to push back return-to-work plans and companies large and small prepare for a flexible future, Google is requiring its workforce to eventually come into physical offices three days a week at some point in 2022.
Google mandates weekly COVID-19 tests
https://rtdjournal.com/google-wont-let-users-sign-in-on-old-android-devices-from-sep-27-sources/
Odisha Government is the first to place order for OmiSure for Omicron detection
TATA Medical and Diagnostics Ltd. (TATA MD) has received an order for 5 lakh tests from Odisha State Medical Corporation Limited (OSMCL). The Government of Odisha is the first state in the country to order the TATA MD CHECK OmiSure RT-PCR tests developed in partnership with ICMR for detection of the Omicron variant of COVID. As OmiSure specifically identifies Omicron without the need for sequencing, it will help the government to combat the Omicron spread within the state.
Mr. Girish Krishnamurthy, CEO and Managing Director,TATA Medical and Diagnostics Ltd. said, “OmiSure is the only test that can specifically detect the Omicron variant at the point of testing. We would like to thank the Government of Odisha, the first state in the country that has decided to use TATA MD OmiSure for COVID testing and would provide all necessary support.”
TATA MD CHECK RT-PCR OmiSure is the only test approved by the ICMR for RT-PCR detection of the Omicron variant. It targets 3 gene with a single tube, fully multiplexed assay in a unique design that identifies simultaneous S-gene Target Failure (SGTF) and S-Gene Mutation Amplification (SGMA). Its confirmatory evaluation of RdRP target with internal controls leads to accurate diagnosis with significant reduction in the risk of false-positive reactions from contamination in control materials. OmiSure uses the standard qPCR workflow, compatible with commonly used qPCR platforms with 4+ channels.
Omicron Odisha: 23 More Omicron Cases Detected In Odisha; Total Tally Goes To 37
Omicron Odisha: Twenty three more new cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 had been detected in the state taking the total number of cases to 37, the Institute of Life Sciences in Bhubaneswar said on Sunday.
According to official reports, 11 of them are returnees from Finland, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Syria, 10 are local cases, and the remaining two are contacts of Finland returnees.
The state today registered a spike in Covid-19 cases, as 424 people, including 67 children below 18 years of age, tested positive for the virus during the last 24 hours. The daily Covid-19 cases were reported to be 298 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the state government on Sunday temporarily suspended the reopening of schools for physical classes from classes 1 to 5, which was scheduled to begin from January 3.
Omicron Odisha cases
This brings the overall number of Omicron in Odisha to 37. Odisha Health Director Bijay Panigrah announced today that the state’s monitoring and immunization campaigns will be stepped up.
The minister also recommended people wear masks and wash their hands frequently. “Unnecessary travel should be avoided wherever possible. In the past, we received sufficient public backing to deal with any emergency crisis. “With everyone’s help, we can and will battle this wave,” the CM said.
“Therefore, the people should adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. We should take every possible step to stop further transmission of the virus,” he said, adding that Omicron is three times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
Meanwhile, the Omicron infections tally has climbed at 1,700 across the nation, of which 320 patients have been discharged from hospitals.
With Covid cases rising, containment zones increased and state governments considered new curbs, even while instances of serious disease remained low. Delhi recorded 3,194 cases, while Mumbai saw 8,063 new Covid-19 cases. A total of 3,194 new cases were recorded in Kolkata on Sunday, accounting for nearly half of the statewide count. But like in Delhi and Mumbai, hospitals remained low in the city.
Omicron Odisha cases
Omicron Odisha: Five More Omicron Cases Detected In Odisha; Total Tally Goes To 14
Omicron Odisha: Five more new cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 had been detected in the state, the Institute of Life Sciences in Bhubaneswar said on Thursday.
“Four male and one female of 22-44 years of age have tested positive for Omicron. While four persons have returned from foreign countries — Qatar, Congo and the UAE, another infected person has no international travel history. The person had recently visited Raipur and Hyderabad,” said director of health services, Bijay Mohapatra.
The health condition of all infected persons is stable, he said. Contact tracing of all these five Omicron positive persons is being carried out. So far, one Omicron positive person’s close contact has tested Covid positive and his sample has been sent for genome sequencing while contacts of another two cases have found Covid negative, Bijay Mohapatra said.
Moreover, reports of persons who came in contact with another two fresh cases are awaited, he informed.
This brings the overall number of Omicron in Odisha to fourteen. Odisha Health Director Bijay Panigrah announced today that the state’s monitoring and immunization campaigns will be stepped up.
The minister also recommended people wear masks and wash their hands frequently. “Unnecessary travel should be avoided wherever possible. In the past, we received sufficient public backing to deal with any emergency crisis. “With everyone’s help, we can and will battle this wave,” the CM said.
“Therefore, the people should adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. We should take every possible step to stop further transmission of the virus,” he said, adding that Omicron is three times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
Meanwhile, the Omicron infections tally has climbed at 961 across the nation, of which 320 patients have been discharged from hospitals.
Omicron Odisha Updates
Omicron Odisha: Odisha CM Alerts People On Omicron Variant, Rise In Its Daily COVID Caseload
Omicron Odisha: One More Omicron Case Detected In Odisha; Total Tally Goes To 9
Omicron Odisha Updates
Omicron Odisha: One More Omicron Case Detected In Odisha; Total Tally Goes To 9
Omicron Odisha:: One more new case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 had been detected in the state, the Institute of Life Sciences in Bhubaneswar said on Wednesday.
The infected person is a resident of the Keonjhar district and had returned from Dubai on December 16.
As per the officials, he had tested positive with Coronavirus after his arrival to Odisha from Kolkata on a train. He was in isolation at his house. Then, his samples were sent for genome sequencing which confirmed he was infected with Omicron.
His parents and family members were tested for Covid-19 twice after he was tested positive. However, they were found negative both times. The health condition of the returnee is stated to be stable.
The Institute of Life Sciences in its statement said that the presence of the virus’s Omicron variant was confirmed in the one people after genome sequencing.
This brings the overall number of Omicron in Odisha to nine. Odisha Health Director Bijay Panigrah announced today that the state’s monitoring and immunization campaigns will be stepped up.
“We’ve been told to increase the daily COVID tests to 70,000,” Panigrah said. On Wednesday, it was reported that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the people of the state to adhere to COVID guidelines. “The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is causing an increase in infections. “We must remain vigilant since the new strain is rapidly spreading,” Patnaik warned.
The minister also recommended people wear masks and wash their hands frequently. “Unnecessary travel should be avoided wherever possible. In the past, we received sufficient public backing to deal with any emergency crisis. “With everyone’s help, we can and will battle this wave,” the CM said.
“Therefore, the people should adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. We should take every possible step to stop further transmission of the virus,” he said, adding that Omicron is three times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
Noting that the present situation shouldn’t be taken lightly, he said, people’s cooperation is essential to fight the danger from the Omicron. The Centre has suggested to states to formulate a strategy that can ensure the infection is contained at the local level itself before it spreads to other parts of the state.
Omicron Odisha: Odisha CM Alerts People On Omicron Variant, Rise In Its Daily COVID Caseload
Omicron Odisha: Odisha Govt Announces New Guidelines From Dec 25 To Jan 2; Check Details
1. Christmas celebration shall be limited to Churches with a maximum of 50(fifty) persons joining the mass by strictly following COVID protocols and in terms of specific conditions as imposed by District Magistrates/Municipal Commissioners/ Local Authorities while permitting such mass, if any.
2. Zero Night celebration, Welcome to New Year in hotels, clubs, restaurants, parks, convention halls, Kalyan Mandaps, etc. is completely banned across the State.
3. No celebration other than marriage (but not receptions and ancillary functions) is allowed across the State.
4. Funeral rites is allowed with due COVID-19 protocols.
5. There shall be strict vigilance on crowding and gathering during the above occasions.
6. No community feast is also allowed.
7. No social gathering, rallies, orchestras, dances and other cultural. programmes shall be permitted.
Odisha Govt Announces New Guidelines
From Wikipedia
The Omicron variant is a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on 24 November 2021.[1] On 26 November 2021, the WHO designated it as a variant of concern and named it “Omicron“, the fifteenth letter in the Greek alphabet.
Odisha CM Alerts People On Omicron Variant, Rise In Its Daily COVID Caseload
A day after Odisha reported it’s first cases in Omicron, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged people to adhere strictly to the proper conduct of COVID-19 in order to overcome the new strain of coronavirus.
Patnaik via video message, said: ” Now COVID-19 new variant Omicron is spreading across the globe. Therefore, I appeal to people to remain alert and follow the norms like wearing masks, hand wash, maintaining social distancing and avoid crowd.”
Odisha on Tuesday reported two cases of Omicron diversity after tracking the genome of 12 COVID-19 patients who had recently returned from abroad.
Meanwhile, the state government on Wednesday convened a meeting of senior officials to discuss additional steps to be taken in light of the Omicron differences that have already entered Odisha. ” The meeting decided to increase surveillance and vaccination activities. The government will increase gene sequence testing, ” said Nirajan Mishra, director of public health services.
Health Services Director Bijay Mohapatra said the Central Government has written to all states and union territories advising the administrations to impose restrictions if the test positivity rate (TPR) crosses 10 per cent or occupancy of oxygen-supported ICU beds touches 40 per cent.
“Therefore, the people should adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. We should take every possible step to stop further transmission of the virus,” he said, adding that Omicron is three times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
Noting that the present situation shouldn’t be taken lightly, he said, people’s cooperation is essential to fight the danger from the Omicron. The Centre has suggested to states to formulate a strategy that can ensure infection is contained at the local level itself before it spreads to other parts of the state.
Meanwhile, Odisha recorded a slight rise in its daily COVID caseload on Wednesday as 183 more people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours pushing the tally to 10,53,349. The state had reported 146 cases on Tuesday and 186 and 193 cases on Monday and Sunday respectively.
https://rtdjournal.com/omicron-updates-it-can-change-the-course-of-covid-19-pandemic-says-who/
The new Tata MD CHECK Express RT-PCR testing solutions will boost testing for the Omicron variant
~ Indigenously developed RT-PCR test for economical, variant-proof, and express use~
With the Omicron variant resulting in a further surge of cases across the globe, India is back on high alert with international passengers from high-risk countries requiring mandatory testing, as well as random testing of passengers from other countries. Some states have also introduced restrictions with the requirement of negative COVID tests for domestic passengers. In addition, with studies in India pointing to a possible surge in cases in February next year, there is expected to be a multifold increase in demand for RT-PCR COVID tests that are economical and give fast results. To meet this challenge, Tata MD has indigenously developed the COVID testing solutions that will significantly boost India’s COVID testing capacity.
Tata MD COVID Express RT PCR solution consists of:
- Tata MD CHECK XF, a 3-Gene RT-PCR kit that is RNA extraction free and uses fast amplification protocol combined with a portable and fast qPCR analyzer. The solution has a processing time of just one hour. And can process 30 samples per batch per machine. The kit is approved by ICMR with 95%+ sensitivity and 100% specificity.
- Tata MD CHECK RT-PCR Fast 3Gene is a 3-Gene RT-PCR kit that uses fast amplification protocol and hence has a processing time of 90 minutes. And can process 90 samples per batch per machine. The kit can be used in existing qPCR instruments. It is approved by ICMR with 100% Sensitivity and 100% Specificity.
Both these kits use 3-Genes that are variant proof.
Another key advantage of the above solution is its high throughput feature. Tata MD XF with a portable and fast qPCR analyzer can process 300-400 samples in 2 hours using five lines. Tata MD CHECK RT-PCR Fast 3Gene using 5 qPCR instruments (96 wells) can process 450 samples in 2 hours. While the prevalent faster testing solutions currently being used in airports process one test at a time with low throughput capacity and yet very expensive.
RT-PCR testing
Mr. Girish Krishnamurthy, CEO, Tata Medical & Diagnostics Ltd. said, “At Tata MD, our endeavor is to indigenously develop innovative medical technologies and we have been working on several new technologies for COVID Testing. These express testing solutions can be applied in multiple areas where quick, high volume, and reliable testing is required such as airports and events”
The new Tata MD CHECK Express PCR testing solution has been proven to deliver rapid and dependable results in a real-world environment with a high volume of tests at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru since early this month. It has proved instrumental in helping to address the rush of fliers from ‘high risk’ countries required to undergo mandatory RT-PCR testing.
Omicron Update: Our Vaccines May Become Ineffective In Emerging Situations: VK Paul
Omicron Update: Amid growing concerns over the new Omicron variant, India’s COVID Task Force chief VK Paul has said that there is a potential scenario that “our vaccines may become ineffective in emerging situations”.
Paul also stressed the need to be ready to modify the vaccines as per requirement. He also hoped that COVID in India is possibly moving in the direction of endemicity, where there is a low or moderate level of transmission going on.
“We have experienced Delta shock and now the Omicron shock… there is a potential scenario that our vaccines may become ineffective in emerging situations in the wake of the last three weeks of living with Omicron, we have seen how such doubts have come up, some of them may be genuine, we still don’t have the final picture,” VK Paul said.
The current strategy&effective strategy is to ensure that the adult population of India is covered with the two vaccines that are in our program-Covishield & Covaxin, & now a DNA vaccine may also be added to an extent: Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog, in Bhubaneswar(Odisha) pic.twitter.com/yvkeh5q8kp
— ANI (@ANI) December 14, 2021
Speaking at an event organised by industry body CII, Paul also emphasised the need for having vaccine platforms that are adaptable quickly with the changing nature of the variants.
“How soon can we create a vaccine which is using the same platform, but is now targeted to the variant of the day… we may have to think about how we go about doing it……moving from the rapid development of generic vaccine, we have to be ready to be able to have a situation where resiliently we are able to modify the vaccines as require(d). This may not happen every three months but this could happen every year perhaps. Therefore, that needs to be factored in,” Paul said.
The new COVID variant called B.1.1.529 or Omicron was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on November 24.
According to Paul, drug development will not go out of fashion for the next viral epidemic/ pandemic that the world might face and that anti-microbial resistance challenge is also crying for drug solutions.
Noting that there is a need to examine how India’s classical drug industry can have a roadmap and risk-taking attitude, he said, “We are still crying for an effective drug to fight viral diseases, including COVID”.
The coronavirus pandemic has taught that viruses cannot be taken lightly, and the unpredictability in emerging scenarios of health have to be respected and addressed, Paul noted.
“Pandemic is not over, we will continue to deal with uncertainty, even though we hope that we are possibly moving in the direction of endemicity, hopefully of a mild disease, that we can tackle,” Paul said but cautioned that the situation cannot be taken for granted.
The endemic stage is when a population learns to live with a virus. It is very different from the epidemic stage when the virus overwhelms a population.
While noting that the contribution of the industry to science is low in the country, Paul said, “Our national investment in science is all public money… even during developing the vaccines, a lot of testing was done at the national laboratory”. Further, he said that 97 percent of the vaccines delivered to Indian people was with public money and very little with private money.
The foremost priority right now is to make sure that there is universal coverage of the vaccine and no one is left behind, Paul said, adding that globally, there are 3.6 billion people who are not vaccinated.
“We need 7.2 billion doses together, and with the current rate of production, it is well within our grasp… it is possible for us to deliver the vaccine,” Paul said.
https://rtdjournal.com/omicron-odisha-to-revise-the-covid-19-guidelines/