Nagpur: Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya today in Rajya Sabha said that no cases of the new Covid-19 variant—Omicron has been detected in India till now.

Mandaviya said, “No case of COVID-19 variant Omicron has been reported in India so far,” while answering a question during question hour in Rajya Sabha. The minister also added that an advisory has also been issued in this regard. “We are immediately checking suspicious cases and conducting genome sequencing. We have learnt a lot during the COVID crisis. Today, we have a lot of resources and laboratories. We can manage any situation,” he added.

Mandaviya also said that all necessary precautions are being taken to stop the virus from entering the country. The World Health Organization has considered the newly-discovered variant as a ‘variant of concern.’

After the development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a comprehensive meeting to review the preparedness to tackle the variant and the Covid-19 vaccine situation in India. As per a statement by the Prime Minister’s office, officials briefed Modi about the new variant of concern along with its characteristics and impact seen in other countries.