Left, Right & Centre

Children, contagiousness, severity - what we know (and don't know) about the Omicron variant and its effects on children. We speak with Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Britain's Warwick University.

Two Covid cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in Karnataka, the Health Ministry said Thursday, calling for calm amid growing concern over a strain that has triggered global alarm. We speak to top medical experts on what this means for India and how we should gear up for the possible spread of the new variant.

On Left, Right and Centre, we discuss UP Deputy Minster's tweet in which he renews focus on Mathura Temple. However, the Opposition slams the decision calling it a communal move and a sign of defeat. Can temple talk help BJP save its west UP fortress?

"For the past three months, the ministry has been regularly monitoring the genomic sequence and the kind of variants that we are seeing. The moment the WHO alert came in about Omicron, they picked up these cases in a couple of days. They have been quite quick in taking samples and giving the report," Karnataka Covid Task Force Member Dr Vishal Rao tells NDTV. The Centre today said India's first two cases of Omicron have been detected in Karnataka.

Professor Devi Sridhar, Director of UK research body GlobalHealthGP, speaks to NDTV on how several vaccine makers are claiming that their shots are effective against the new variant without any data and the real data will be available when we test the vaccines against the virus.

Maharashtra needs to be more careful than other states regarding the new Covid variant Omicron as it was "hit first and hit the hardest" last time, state minister Aaditya Thackeray told NDTV today amid friction with the Centre over the guidelines at airports. The state has revised its guidelines, which the Centre wanted in sync with the national rules. But Mr Thackeray, who is also the son of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, made it clear that Maharashtra's rules will still be different from the Centre's version as "People's safety is top priority".

On Left, Right and Centre, we speak to a member of the African COVID Task Force, Prof Salim S Abdool Karim, on Omicron variant. He said, "generally, viruses evolve to becoming less severe," but cautioned that "one must be very careful in interpreting anecdotal and preliminary data."

In the time of Omicron, what are the experiences of travellers who've been stuck waiting for RT-PCR test results at airports for hours before they can exit as per the new rules. On Left, Right and Centre, we speak with one such passenger.

As the new Covid strain 'Omicron' raises alarm across the globe, Adar Poonawalla, the chief of Serum Institute of India which manufactures COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, in an exclusive interview to NDTV said that Omicron-specific booster shots are possible and added that the focus of the government must remain to get everyone double vaccinated.

India's top biomedical scientist Dr Gagandeep Kang explains what could be the factors that make the new coronavirus strain, Omicron, a variant of concern. Omicron has more mutations than any other variant seen in the past, Dr Kang told NDTV.

Vinamra Longani Head of Operations at Sarin And Co spoke to NDTV on new rules for international travellers as the overall global risk linked to Omicron is "very high".

Dr NK Arora, Executive Director, INCLEN, and Covid panel chief spoke to NDTV on the Omicron variant as countries are shutting down international air travel, even as evidence indicates that Omicron has already spread far and wide.

A special show, a global town house with some of the finest minds on the new Covid variant - including NDTV's Sonia Singh's exclusive interview with Dr Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who raised the Omicron alert. She says there are indicators that this strain results in mild infection. But the world is, clearly, not taking any chances. Countries are now shutting down international air travel, even as evidence indicates that Omicron has already spread far and wide. Is it here in India so far? We don't know yet.

Just when we thought we are winning the war against coronavirus, the World Health Organisation designated the new 'Omicron' strain as a Variant of Concern. With 'Omicron' spreading fast and cases being reported in at least nine countries, is India prepared to deal with a possible outbreak? Top experts join us on this weekend edition of Left, Right and Centre.

Comedian Munawar Faruqui has been shut down once again, even before his performance. This time in Bengaluru. With his 12 shows cancelled in the last two months over threats from right-wing groups, Munawar Faruqui says "I'm done". Is this truly the India that we want?