Govt .needs to get ready to deal with ‘tentacles of Omicron’ — LS members

New Delhi, Dec. 14 (IANS): Lok Sabha members on Tuesday urged the government to prepare to deal with the tentacles of Omicron, the new variant of coronavirus.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the lower house, Congress leader in the house, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the government needs to be alert about Omicron as the number of cases has been increasing.

As of now, 41 cases of Omicron have been reported and the government needs to come up with a plan for vaccination of the children, adolescents and other adults who have not been vaccinated yet, he said, noting that European nations have already started the vaccination programme for children as the “tentacles of Omicron” has been spreading theretoo.

Trinamool Congress’ Sougata Roy asked the government to start booster doses for all eligible immediately along with vaccine being started for 12-18-year-olds.

“Because of some differences within the expert committee, booster dose is not being given,” he said.

“We are all scared, the third wave will happen and we will be caught unawares,” Roy added.

Another Trinamool member Kalyan Banerjee, referring to the death of an Omicron patient in the UK, said that the British government has already declared Omicron as an emergency and cases were on the rise in London.

Meanwhile, RLP member Hanuman Beniwal raised the issue of spine muscular atrophy among children and said that the medicine for this rare disease is imported on a very high price. He urged the government find ways to make the high price medicine affordable.

On assistance to disabled persons for purchase or fitting of aids or appliances scheme, NCP’s Supriya Sule Araised the issue of cochlear implant requiring an expensive machine and requested the government to include one cochlear implant in the scheme and support children requiring cochlear implant till they are 18 or 21.