Delhi Designates Special Hospital For Patients Infected With Omicron Coronavirus Variant

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2021) Authorities in the Indian capital of Delhi have moved to designate a special medical facility for patients infected with the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The move came in response to the fresh guidelines issued by the country's health ministry in response to the emergence and spread of the new strain.

"Accordingly, Lok Nayak Hospital is hereby designated as the dedicated hospital which will treat the patients detected with the new variant of SARS-CoV-2," the Delhi government said in a statement issued on Monday.

The new strain dubbed Omicron by the World Health Organization (WHO), first found in Southern Africa earlier this month, has already spread in many countries worldwide, prompting tighter restrictions and travel bans to several southern African nations.

The WHO identified Omicron as a variant of concern as it contains a high number of mutations, including these in spike protein, which make it possibly more transmissible and dangerous.