Covid case positivity rate phenomenally high; Omicron not common cold: Centre

Unlike the previous surges where the rise of Covid cases started in the west of the country and then gradually moved to the east, this time the surge was sweeping indicating the presence of Omicron, the Centre said.

As India's Covid positivity rate on Wednesday stands at 11.05%, the Centre said the rise in the positivity rate in the last 12 days have been sharp and concerning. On December 30, the case positivity rate was 1.1 per cent. "It shows how fast the infection is spreading. Generally, the spread is seen moving from the west to the east of the country. But given that pattern, it would have taken longer for the surge. This did not happen, which shows that Omicron is rapidly replacing Delta," Niti Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul said during the weekly press conference of the health ministry.

A BMC health worker collects swab samples of an outstation passenger for Covid-19 test at CSMT Station in Mumbai. (PTI)

Echoing the recent concerns expressed by the World Health Organization that people are considering Omicron as mild and which is not right, Dr Paul said, "Omicron is not a common cold. It is not so simple and neither should it be taken so lightly. And even if Omicron appears less severe, it is because of the extensive vaccination coverage that we have achieved. The same Omicron has challenged the health infrastructure of many countries."

“It is not possible to genome-sequence all Covid samples,” Dr Paul said, adding that still, it is clear that Omicron is fast replacing Delta in the country. "Data from metro cities at least 10 days back showed 80% cases were because of Omicron. But we can't say that Delta is not there. There is a mixed picture of Delta and Omicron which will also change," Dr Paul said.