OMICRON BATTLE: India ready to supply medical equipment, assistance to Africa

India on Thursday said that it is ready to supply medical equipment and life-saving drugs to any country in Africa, amid the emergence of the new coronavirus variant Omicron.

"We are ready to supply medical equipment, assistance and collaboration with any country if they come forward with any such kind of issue," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a press briefing.

"We are also willing to deepen our medical cooperation or collaboration whether its the virus characterization or genomic surveillance," he added.

On the issue of flights curb due to Omicron spread, the spokesperson said that some countries have stopped flights from that region or countries they define as a region of Omicron but "we haven't done that."

"We have intensified the surveillance mechanisms and protocols for those who happen to come from risk countries and not just limited to Omicron," he added.

This comes as Union Health Ministry today said that passengers arriving from ''at risk'' countries need to undergo RT-PCR test on arrival and if found positive for COVID-19, they will be treated under clinical management protocol.

Health Ministry Joint Secretary Agarwal, during a press briefing here on Thursday, stated that if passengers arriving from "at risk" countries tested negative for COVID-19, they will follow home quarantine for 7 days.

Last month, India had expressed its solidarity with the countries affected by the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

"We have noted the emergence of a new variant of Covid-19, Omicron. We express our solidarity with the countries, particularly in Africa, who have so far been affected by the Omicron variant," the MEA had said in a statement.

"The Government of India stands ready to support the countries affected in Africa in dealing with the Omicron variant, including by supplies of Made-in-India vaccines. Supplies can be undertaken through COVAX or bilaterally," it added.

 India has so far reported two cases of new coronavirus variant Omicron in the state of Karnataka.