First UK patient has died from Omicron variant, says PM Johnson

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, his constituency, for two days to inaugurate the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project, which will connect two landmarks, Kashi Vishwanath temple and Ganga ghats.

Modi visited the temple to inaugurate phase one of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, constructed at a cost of Rs 339 crore. As Uttar Pradesh preps for assembly elections next year, these works are seen as the ruling BJP’s attempt to showcase its achievements.

The Omicron coronavirus variant is more transmissible than the Delta strain and reduces vaccine efficacy but causes less severe symptoms according to early data, the World Health Organization said Sunday.

The Delta variant, first identified in India earlier this year, is responsible for most of the world’s coronavirus infections. India’s Omicron cases increased to 38 after five people tested positive: one each in Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala. For Andhra Pradesh and Chandigarh, these were the first cases.