NEW DELHI: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in the Lok Sabha on Friday that a study on the effectiveness of vaccinations on the new Covid-19 variant Omicron is underway, and that a decision on the booster dose will be made once experts provide their comments. He also stated that the country has faith in its scientists and that the booster policy will be implemented based on their recommendations after thorough research.

Mandaviya also revealed that the Omicron emerged on November 1 and was reported in South Africa on November 24 in response to a query during the Question House in the Lower House. So far, the new variation has been detected in 59 nations, and each country is evaluating the efficacy of existing vaccines.

"We immediately started a study, and there are currently 36 facilities in India that perform 'Genome Sequencing.' These labs can sequence 30,000 genomes each day, and we've been attempting to develop partnerships with private labs to enhance capacity "Mandavia said the parliament.

In comparison to other nations, he also stated that India has done "best" in terms of vaccination rates, stating that "our country has completed 86 percent of the first dosage." He also asked for everyone's help in getting the vaccination drive started as soon as possible.

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