Take doubles doses, wear masks as precaution against Omicron; Indian govt

"The precautions and steps to be taken remain same as before. It is essential to mask yourself properly, take both doses of vaccines (if not yet vaccinated), maintain social distancing and maintain good ventilation to the maximum possible," the Indian government said in a statement.

Speaking on the possibility of a third wave, the government said: "Omicron cases are increasingly being reported from countries outside of South Africa and given its characteristics, it is likely to spread to more countries including India. However, the scale and magnitude of rise in cases and most importantly the severity of disease that will be caused is still not clear. Further, given the fast pace of vaccination in India and high exposure to delta variant as evidenced by high seropositivity, the severity of the disease is anticipated to be low. However, scientific evidence is still evolving."

The government said it is monitoring the situation closely and is issuing suitable guidelines from time to time.

"Meanwhile, the scientific and medical community is geared up for developing and deploying diagnostics, carrying out genomic surveillance, generating evidence about viral and epidemiologic characteristics, and development of therapeutics," read the statement.

Two Omicron cases have been detected in southern state of Karnataka in India, said the Union Health Ministry on Thursday.