The first case of Omicron has been detected in Goa with an eight-year-old child testing positive as per genome sequencing reports. It only goes to show that contrary to belief, children do not have immunity to the Covid-19 virus including Omicron which is a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that has been reported from South Africa. According to medical experts, India will see a peak of Omicron cases in February. The Omicron variant is considered as a milder form of the virus when compared to the Delta variant. However the new variant cannot be taken lightly simply because it is associated with increased infection and for evading the immune response of the body. Due to the rapid pace of vaccination in India and high exposure to the earlier Delta variant which resulted in the increase of antibodies to fight the virus, the severity is expected to be low. Goa is witnessing a spike in the positivity rate of Covid-19 and with the detection of the first Omicron case in the state, things cannot be taken lightly, especially because of the rise in the cases of the new variant in neighbouring states.
